ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions would love to have David Montgomery back in their backfield.

Heck, who wouldn’t?

But Jahmyr Gibbs has taken the workhorse role in the first two games without Montgomery and run with the opportunity. He has back-to-back games with 100-plus rushing yards and has continued to be a legitimate threat in the passing game.

Gibbs ran for 109 yards and one touchdown against the Chicago Bears, then ran for 117 yards and another score against the San Francisco 49ers. He’s caught eight passes for 91 yards in those two games. Gibbs has a rushing touchdown in three straight games, scoring in four consecutive weeks, as well.

He’ll be counted on in a big way against the Minnesota Vikings in the upcoming winner-take-all Week 18 game. Gibbs hit these Vikings for 116 rushing yards and two touchdowns in their first meeting back in Week 7. He also secured four catches for 44 yards and was clutch in that game.

Gibbs came out of the two-minute warning in that first Lions-Vikings game, hitting a 14-yard run and then a 16-yard catch to put Jake Bates in field-goal range for the eventual game-winning kick.

“We felt all year long that Gibby and D-Mo are equally successful doing the same things, and that really hasn’t changed our mindset the last couple of games,” Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnsons said. “So, hopefully, we continue that trend, and both of those guys play big roles for us, Craig (Reynolds) and Gibby.

“Each week, we do something a little bit different with him, maybe from the backfield or extend him out wide, but that’s kind of been the theme all year long. Didn’t see anything from San Fran that was anything different than we expected.”

Related: What the Lions can learn from the first Vikings matchup

Related: Why the No. 1 seed is so crucial to Lions’ Super Bowl hopes

Gibbs and the Lions also received more help from their reserves last week, an important boost to help this offense keep clicking at a high level.

Craig Reynolds had nine touches for 66 yards against the 49ers, taking advantage of his own growing opportunity. The Lions have worked with Reynolds as the RB2, while Jermar Jefferson and rookie Sione Vaki have worked into action with Montgomery these last two weeks.

The Lions are trying to balance leaning on Gibbs while keeping the second-year running back fresh for the postseason.

“It’s huge. Once again, that’s Craig Reynolds,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell told MLive. “That’s what Craig does. Craig doesn’t get hardly any reps because they go to Gibbs or Montgomery. When we had David, he gets a couple here and there. (Reynolds) goes in on the mental work of preparing. He’s always on point. He knows exactly where to line up. Alignment, assignment, effort, finish. He shows up once again for us. That’s why we trust him.

“We trust the heck out of him. Normally, he’s been a big special teams contributor for us and always has silent production. He steps in, and you’re right, was a huge help for us offensively.”

• BETTING: Check out our guide to the best Michigan sportsbooks, where our team of sports betting experts has reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds for multiple sportsbooks.