The Detroit Lions went into Green Bay on Thursday night for the first time since ending the Green Bay Packers' playoff hopes in Week 17 of the 2022 season. The Packers — led by new quarterback Jordan Love — looked to avenge those sour memories while the Lions laid plans to take over as the top team in the NFC North.

In the end, it was the physicality, determination, and experience of Detroit that drove the Lions to a 34-20 victory over their long-time oppressor. After that big win, here are 2 surprising trends from the Lions in Week 4.

David Montgomery is the clear lead back

When David Montgomery out-carried Jahmyr Gibbs 21-7 in the season-opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, the assumption was that the Lions were going to slowly work Gibbs into the offense. Gibbs was efficient on that night, averaging six yards per carry, suggesting he was ready for an increased workload. But now Detroit has played four games, and in Week 4 Gibbs still only received eight carries. Montgomery, by contrast, carried the ball 32 times against Green Bay and leads the NFL with 69 carries (the Lions have played an extra game but Montgomery sat out Week 3 due to injury).

Even in the game that Montgomery missed through injury, Gibbs only played 60% of snaps. He was efficient in that outing too, gaining 80 yards on 17 carries (4.7 yards/carry). Outside of a clunker against Seattle, Gibbs is averaging better than five yards per carry. He is simply not receiving the snaps or the touches. Against the Packers on Thursday night, Gibbs was on the field for just 37% of the Lions' offensive snaps. Perhaps coach Dan Campbell wants to save Gibbs for later in the season, but David Montgomery's bruising running style is perfect for those frigid December games when defenses are worn out from a draining campaign.

Or, the Lions' outlook could be even more long-term; two, three, even four years from now when Gibbs is fresher than other running backs his age, and he is able to enjoy a longer career than they are. Even so, keeping Jahmyr Gibbs on the bench is a gamble when there is always the imminent pressure of winning now in the NFL.

The Lions' continued dominance in the trenches

Since he took over in 2021, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell has preached a physical brand of football. It has taken some time, but that vision has finally come to fruition this year. The Lions finished with 11 QB hits, eight tackles for a loss, and five sacks in their Thursday Night Football victory over the Packers, all while holding Green Bay to just 2.3 yards per carry. Green Bay had just 20 total yards in the first half and only two first downs. The Detroit defense was a little more fallible in the second half, but much of that was due to the prevent defense the Lions played as they looked to hold onto their 24-point halftime lead.

On the other side of the ball, Detroit ran the ball at will, carrying an astounding 43 times while amassing 211 yards on the ground and averaging 4.9/yards per carry. The dominance of the offensive line was especially important in short-yardage situations. On plays where the line to gains was three or fewer yards, the Lions converted the first down on 11 of 13 occasions.

This ability to sustain drives helped the Lions maintain control of the game. Detroit had the ball for 38 minutes in that contest, versus just 22 minutes for Green Bay. The Detroit Lions want to control the game, and that is exactly what they did, and that control begins with dominance by the offensive and defensive lines.