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Houston is remaking its backfield.
Detroit Lions trade David Montgomery to Houston Texans for draft pick
Sonic and Knuckles are no more.
The Detroit Lions traded running back David Montgomery to the Houston Texans on Monday, March 2, a person with first-hand knowledge of the deal told the Free Press, less than a week after Lions general manager Brad Holmes said he would "love" to keep Montgomery in Detroit.
"Kind of want to put last year in the rearview and just move forward," Holmes said at the NFL combine last week in Indianapolis. "But obviously, a player has to want to be at a certain place as well. So those conversations are still fluid and we’ll just kind of see how it goes."
Montgomery was unhappy with his reduced role last season, when he had career-lows in rushing yards, attempts and total offensive touches while playing as the Lions' clear No. 2 running back behind Jahmyr Gibbs.
In 2023-24, Gibbs and Montgomery – nicknamed Sonic and Knuckles – formed one of the best 1-2 running back tandems in the NFL.
Montgomery, who turns 29 in June, is scheduled to make $6 million this fall in the first year of a two-year extension. The Lions save about $3.5 million in cap room with the trade, though they’ll have to use at least some of that savings to find a replacement.
The Lions do not have enough cap room or available playing time to be in the top of the running back market, but cost-effective options who could be available in free agency include Brian Robinson, Najee Harris and Arizona Cardinals running backs Michael Carter and Emari Demercado (a restricted free agent), both of whom played for new Lions offensive coordinator Petzing last season.
This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: David Montgomery traded from Detroit Lions to Houston Texans for pick
Nobody In IndyCar Can Stop Álex Palou
The IndyCar circus has been dormant since the 2025 season ended 183 days ago, and in spite of that lengthy off season, it doesn't seem any of the drivers in the series have figured out a way to beat four-time champion Álex Palou and his Chip Ganassi Racing team. Sunday's St. Petersburg Grand Prix once again went Palou's way as he brute forced his way to the front and delivered the largest margin of victory in the history of the event. Palou came home a full 12.49 seconds ahead of pole man Scott McLaughlin. He kept his cool and made it look easy.
It may be a little early in the season, but allow me to be the first to congratulate Mr. Palou on winning his fifth IndyCar title in 2026. Sure, there are still 17 races in the season to be run, but all that feels more or less like a formality at this point. I've seen this guy get better every single year, and while everyone else on the grid is still dang fast, they're not developing at the same pace.
On Sunday Palou ran a strategy that very few other drivers in the field chose to take. With the new 2026 rulebook requiring every car to run two stints on soft tires and one stint on hards, Palou started the race on softs, ran softs again in the middle stint, and moved to the hards to close out the race. The top competitors started on the hards and closed with two sets of soft tires, hoping to catch up to Palou in that final stint with a tire advantage. Not only did Palou work himself a huge gap to the chasing pack, but he stayed fast on the worse set of tires. It was magic.
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The once and future champ
IndyCar is a more or less spec series with some of the top international drivers and incredibly talented teams of individuals. There's no way any one driver should be able to dominate the way Palou routinely does. The cars are the same, the tires are the same, everyone has essentially the same equipment. In 2026 the main differences between cars on the grid are how their dampers are tuned, and teams are spending millions to have an infinitesimally small advantage over one another. All of that is moot if you don't have Palou in the car.
It looks like 2026 is shaping up to be another Palou versus the world season. I was hoping that McLaren could bring a tighter ship to the grid this year for its superstar driver Pato O'Ward, or Penske could figure out a few of the things that have been plaguing the team for the last couple of years. It's possible both will be able to improve through the season, but St. Pete didn't fill me with a ton of confidence that Álex will have anyone to push him to be faster, except himself. We're witnessing a generationally talented run in IndyCar right now, and I love to see the Spaniard succeed.
Nobody but Palou has led the IndyCar championship since June of 2024, so just let that little factoid sink in for a moment. This weekend's run at Phoenix will be Palou's 100th race in the series, and St. Pete marked his race victory. There isn't a driver in IndyCar right now who could deliver that kind of win rate, and now that Palou has essentially closed the door on a potential run in Formula One, there isn't anything coming to save the current grid from his pace.
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How many times has India reached the T20 World Cup semi-finals? A look at their record
T20 World Cup 2026: How many times has India reached the semi-finals?
Since the inaugural ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007, there have been nine editions (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2024), with the 2026 tournament set to be the tenth. India have been one of the most consistent teams, reaching the semi-finals six times including 2026 (2007, 2014, 2016, 2022, 2024, 2026).Out of these six semi-final appearances, India advanced to the final three times (2007, 2014, 2024) and lifted the T20 World Cup trophy twice (2007 and 2024), proving their strength and consistency in the shortest format of the game.
T20 World Cup 2026: India’s T20 World Cup Semi-Final Appearances
- 2007 – Led by MS Dhoni, India reached the semi-finals and went on to win their first T20 World Cup by defeating Pakistan in the final.
- 2014 – India reached the final but lost to Sri Lanka and finished as runners-up.
- 2016 – Playing at home, India made it to the semi-finals but were defeated by West Indies.
- 2022 – Under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, India reached the semi-finals but lost to England.
- 2024 – Rohit Sharma guided India to their second T20 World Cup title, beating South Africa in the final.
- 2026 – With Suryakumar Yadav as captain, India once again reached the semi-finals, continuing their consistent run in the tournament.
In the 2026 T20 World Cup, India are now set to face England once again in the semi-finals, following their impressive win over West Indies that secured their place in the last four. This clash promises to be a highly anticipated rematch, and with memories of their 2022 defeat still fresh, India will be determined to turn the tables and book their spot in the final.
Along with India, Pakistan and England have also reached the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup six times each. Pakistan made it to the semis in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2021, and 2022, while England reached the last four in 2010, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2026. This puts all three teams at the top when it comes to consistent performances in the tournament’s history.