It’s clear James Harrison isn’t shy about being critical of or delivering warnings to the team he spent a majority of his NFL career with, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Harrison had another warning prior to the Week 16 showdown versus the Detroit Lions.
On the latest episode of his ‘Deebo & Joe” podcast, the former All-Pro linebacker put the Steelers on notice about Lions running back David Montgomery.
“I know Montgomery because he trains in Arizona with me,” Harrison said. “We have the same trainer, and I ain’t gonna lie to you. Y’all better be ready to go ahead and drop shoulder, body, everything on that dude.
“Because he’s looking for work. He’s looking for action. That boy deadlifts like 700 pounds.”
Montgomery has rushed for 635 yards and eight touchdowns this season. He’s averaging a career-high 4.7 yards per carry.
James Harrison Puts Steelers on Notice With Lions RB David Montgomery
Montgomery’s statistics don’t jump off the page. Still, Harrison’s point should be well taken, especially when considering Montgomery is the second-best Lions running back.
Detroit features a potent rushing attack with Montgomery and former first-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs. The pair have nearly 2,400 yards from scrimmage, including 1,735 rushing yards, in 14 games this season.
They have also tallied 24 total touchdowns.
The Steelers held the Miami Dolphins to 63 rushing yards Monday night. But in the two games prior, the Steelers yielded more than 200 rushing yards to both the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens.
Pittsburgh managed to knocked off Baltimore, but the Steelers lost 26-7 to the Bills.
They can’t afford to allow the Lions running game to get rolling like Buffalo and Baltimore did. To slow it down, the Steelers will have to be ready for Gibbs’ electricity and Montgomery’s power.
Steelers, Lions Squaring Off in NFL Week 16
The lack of running threat at quarterback may have been one reason why the Steelers did much better at stopping the Dolphins ground attack. The Bills and Ravens feature two of the top mobile signal-callers in the league.
Fortunately for the Steelers, Lions quarterback Jared Goff isn’t mobile at all. That will allow Pittsburgh to focus on the Detroit running backs.
Defensive lineman Derrick Harmon will also return for Pittsburgh. Before Week 15, the Steelers were yielding nearly 100 more rushing yards per game when Harmon doesn’t play versus when he does this season.
Pittsburgh drafted Harmon at No. 21 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The first-round pick missed Weeks 13-15 because of a knee injury. But Harmon fully practiced this week and doesn’t have an injury designation for Sunday.
Even with Harmon back and the lack of rushing ability from Goff, though, the Steelers defense will likely have its hands full in Detroit.
While Lions won’t have tight end Sam LaPorta because of injury, Detroit’s offense still features wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. St. Brown is one of the top route runners in the league, and Williams can take the top off just about any defense.
With those two outside playmakers, the Steelers can’t dedicate eight defenders in the box on every play to stop the run.
The Lions are ranked inside the top five in both points and yards again this season. The Steelers are probably going to have to score to keep up with Detroit’s offense.
But it will still require the Steelers defense getting key stops. Harrison pretty clearly sees that as only possible if Pittsburgh is physical on Lions such as Montgomery.
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