Source: Lions eye playoff return for Montgomery

DETROIT -- The Lions held disconnected connected placing moving backmost David Montgomery connected the injured reserve database aft he received a 3rd aesculapian sentiment pursuing an MCL wounded successful Sunday's nonaccomplishment to the Bufallo Bills.

A root told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Montgomery "might person avoided season-ending surgery" and location is "optimism (for a imaginable return) successful the playoffs."

"It's astir rehabbing and going from there," the root said.

Initially, Montgomery was feared to miss the remainder of the play earlier receiving further testing. Earlier successful the week, Campbell acknowledged that the squad was leaning connected doctors while successful a "waiting mode" astir his wounded status.

"It is 1 of these injuries that's unsocial because you request to cognize is it stable? OK, is it fixed, aliases will it scar? And past beryllium surely unchangeable for now and for later and past you've gotta trust connected him, like, 'hey man, I'm good. I tin do this,'" Campbell said connected Wednesday. "So, it's a operation surely the doctors past him arsenic well, wherever he thinks he tin spell pinch it and tin he protect himself and play astatine a precocious level truthful we're successful a holding pattern, which arsenic of correct now is simply a positive."

Detroit has been bitten by the wounded bug pinch a league-high 21 players presently connected the injured reserve list, including 16 protect players, which is besides the astir successful the NFL this season.

Montgomery is Detroit's second-leading rusher pinch 775 yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns down Jahmyr Gibbs, who has 1,047 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.

Although Gibbs is disappointed by the injury, he has nary worries picking up the slack successful his absence. Montgomery has encouraged him to "keep hooping" while Campbell and the coaching unit stay assured successful his expertise arsenic "our lead horse."

For Gibbs, his on-field mindset isn't changing without Montgomery.

"Basically, the same, it's thing different," Gibbs said. "I've been doing this my full life, truthful I don't look astatine it immoderate differently."