CHICAGO — Earlier within the week, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson approached veteran quarterback Jared Goff with an odd request coming off a troublesome loss to the Buffalo Bills.
“It began on Monday with Ben asking me if he thought I might really fumble on goal and decide it again up, and I used to be like, ‘I do not learn about that,’ and we form of obtained off that fairly shortly,” Goff recalled.
By Sunday, all of it made sense because the Lions celebrated their first 13-win season with a 34-17 win over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, with Goff completely executing Johnson’s “stumble bum” trick play within the third quarter.
After receiving a first-down snap from below heart, Goff pretended to stumble, and operating again Jahmyr Gibbs dove to the turf after the fake fumble. Bears security Jonathan Owens appeared to momentarily chew on the faux, then Goff delivered a 21-yard landing go to open tight finish Sam LaPorta with 12:18 remaining within the quarter to place Detroit forward 34-14 and assist seal the win.
Gibbs, who had 154 scrimmage yards and a speeding landing, mentioned the Lions known as the play earlier within the recreation however modified it due to the Bears’ defensive look earlier than returning to it a few drives later.
“I did not know if it was going to work or not, however I hoped,” he mentioned.
Sunday’s trickery was impressed by a play Johnson noticed of Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love really dropping a snap towards Chicago earlier than recovering the ball to drag off an enormous, 37-yard completion to tight finish Luke Musgrave on Sept. 10, 2023. The pivotal fourth-quarter play led to a 38-20 victory towards the Bears final season.
It was one in all a number of trick performs known as by Johnson — who is anticipated to interview for the Bears’ head teaching emptiness, sources confirmed to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin — throughout Detroit’s greatest highway win towards the Bears since a 32-7 victory in September 1997.
“The genesis was that is a superb play for that scheme,” mentioned Goff, who went 23-of-32 with 336 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. “But they’re in tune with it on protection that … it is exhausting to get that on them as a result of these linebackers are so dang good at seeing it develop.”
Goff mentioned the offense labored on the play a minimum of three of 4 instances through the week in follow. Lions operating again Craig Reynolds additionally mentioned the Lions’ sideline was in on the enjoyable, as everybody yelled “Ball!” when Goff and Gibbs stumbled.
“Sell it one hundred pc,” Reynolds mentioned.
Gibbs mentioned he is not stunned by the place Johnson attracts inspiration from as he is creating his playbook. Although Johnson is locked in on main the Lions to a Super Bowl below head coach Dan Campbell, he’s anticipated to be on the radar once more this offseason as a high head teaching candidate.
His artistic playcalling, just like the “stumble bum,” is yet one more instance of the offensive brilliance that has earned him respect amongst gamers.
Detroit’s offense has put up a minimum of 400 yards in three of the previous 4 weeks whereas setting a franchise report for many factors in a season (493).
“The stuff he comes up with each recreation is loopy,” Gibbs mentioned of Johnson. “You do not see actually stuff like that, provided that you are in school. In school, they’ve all of these explosive performs and stuff principally.”
ESPN senior NFL reporter Kalyn Kahler contributed to this report.
