The Sonic and Knuckles backfield that the Detroit Lions has used to compile a 12-2 record this season will be only Sonic as the NFL team proceeds through the 2024 campaign.

Running back David Montgomery sustained a knee injury during Sunday’s 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills that will require surgery and will sideline him for the remainder of the season, Lions coach Dan Campbell on Monday.

That leaves Jahmyr Gibbs alone as Detroit’s primary running back.

“We got a lot of confidence in Gibbs,” Campbell said. “He’s continued to get better and better as the season’s gone, and when given the opportunity, he’s made a lot of plays. He made some big plays for us yesterday. He brings the explosive element. He’s getting better in the pass game, and then you see what he’s able to do in the run game, so we have a ton of confidence.

“I think for him it’s going to be we got to use and maximize the reps that we have for him and be careful that we give him too much. We still got to be able to be smart with him. But we need him, and that’s the trick.”

Entering Sunday’s game, Gibbs had 178 rushing attempts for 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns and 34 receptions for 312 yards and two touchdowns and Montgomery had 180 rushing attempts for 771 yards and 12 touchdowns and 32 receptions for 310 yards in 2024.

While Campbell did not provide details of Montgomery’s injury, reports say the running back sustained a torn medial collateral ligament on Sunday.

Montgomery had 4 yards on five rushing attempts and 31 yards on four receptions against Buffalo. Gibbs played a season-high 59 offensive snaps on Sunday and produced 31 yards and one touchdown on eight carries and 83 yards and one touchdown on five receptions.

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“David’s so tough, man,” Campbell said. “He continued to play through, and then got it checked out today and realized that’s what it was. He’s just the ultimate teammate, the ultimate competitor, and we’re going to miss him, man. He’s another one of those guys that got us to this position, helped get us to where we’re at. And the rest of us, we owe him to keep going and make sure that wasn’t in vain.”

The Lions have three games remaining on their regular-season schedule before heading into the playoffs. Detroit visits the Chicago Bears on Sunday and the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 30 in a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game. The Lions close the regular season at home against the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 5.

The Vikings also have a 12-2 record, but Detroit has the tie-breaker on Minnesota by virtue of a 31-29 victory in Minneapolis on Oct. 20.

Gibbs is in his second NFL season. He joined the Lions from Alabama as the 12th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.