Every time we look over at the Detroit Lions’ high-octane offense, coordinator Ben Johnson is seemingly pulling a rabbit out of his hat. It’s no wonder Johnson is considered the top head coaching candidate for this upcoming NFL hiring cycle.
Over the years, I’ve watched a lot of football. I’ve seen many different tricks and fakes, some of which have been absolutely mind-blowing.
I’m unsure I’ve ever seen something like Johnson’s creative play call for Detroit early on in the third quarter against the lowly Chicago Bears on Sunday. (Ironically, Johnson might be the Bears’ leading candidate.)
With the Lions sitting just outside of the red zone, Johnson had both Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs pretend to stumble over in an effort to get the Bears’ defense looking in the backfield. The gambit worked to perfection, and Goff turned around and fired a touchdown pass to a wide-open Sam LaPorta:
Did Goff hit 'em with the fake stumble?!
: #DETvsCHI on FOX
: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/6xDqZ9BFzV— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2024
Man … what?
That’s something out of a Pop Warner matchup, not an NFL game. The audacity to have your offensive backfield play possum during a live sequence is off the charts. Shoutout to Johnson and the Lions’ offense (as well as the Bears’ inept defense) for letting this play off without a hitch.
That’s football poetry right there, folks.
