Lions RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery out to make history - ESPN

DETROIT — After a long day, Lions right tackle Penei Sewell returned home to a pleasant surprise.

His 2-year-old son, Malakai, was impersonating Sonic the Hedgehog — but not the video game character. He was mimicking Sewell's Lions teammate, running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

«I got a Sonic fluffy toy for my son because he loves Jah,» Sewell said. «One day, I come home and he's running with the toy, he goes, 'DaDa, Uncle Jah.'»

Sewell's toddler isn't the only one who has taken notice.

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Nicknamed after the 1990s video game characters, the 22-year-old Gibbs, aka «Sonic» because of his speed, and 27-year-old backfield mate David Montgomery, tabbed as «Knuckles» for his strength, have made a name for themselves as part of coach Dan Campbell's «two-headed monster» backfield. Over the past two seasons, they have combined for 4,417 yards from scrimmage.

In Gibbs and Montgomery, the Lions have two players who could be feature backs for nearly any team in the NFL. But they say they have no issues splitting carries and have put aside egos and personal accolades in hopes of helping the Lions win the franchise's first Super Bowl — a pursuit that continues Thursday against Montgomery's former team, the Chicago Bears (12:30 p.m. ET, CBS).

They say they aren't sure how their new nicknames were created. They only know that once the nicknames were brought to their attention online, they embraced them, even though the names aren't perfect descriptions of the players' styles on the field.

«I would say it's pretty accurate, but I would say in some ways, we could change roles, depending on situations,» Gibbs said.

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