The Detroit Lions went deep into their bag of tricks on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.
Early in the third quarter, the Lions extended their lead when Jared Goff found tight end Sam LaPorta streaking wide open down the field. How did LaPorta get so open? Thanks to a fake stumble from Goff in the backfield, which got the Bears' defense to bite forward.
Some nice trickery by the Lions and Jared Goff finds Sam LaPorta in the end zone! 🙌
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 22, 2024
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/h2XgcOKFWa
It’s an absolutely devious trick play from the mind of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, and as it turns out, it was inspired by a division rival.
Per ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler, the play, which the Lions called “Stumble Bum,” was drawn up after the Lions saw a near-disastrous play for the Packers turn into a huge gain last year.
On the play in question, also against the Bears, Love briefly lost the ball in the backfield, inviting the eyes of the entire Chicago defense. Love then regained possession, got his feet under him, and threw a beauty right over the Bears.
Even when the Packers aren't beating the Bears, they are still beating the Bears, this time via Lions OC Ben Johnson, who took this accidental fumbled snap play from Sept 2023 and turned it into a choreographed "stumble bum" that was a TD today. pic.twitter.com/fJQrtC2LQy
— Kalyn Kahler (@kalynkahler) December 22, 2024
Again, this is some sicko stuff. The instinct to move to the ball as soon as it's free is ingrained into the minds of every defender in the NFL. What better way to get them to bite than by inviting them in for what looks like a sack or fumble?
After the game, Goff joked that he had been practicing his acting all week.
"[Ben Johnson] asked me on Monday if I could fake fumble. We kinda cooked it all week and then had a good moment for it and it worked."
— NFL on FOX Podcast (@NFLonFOXPod) December 22, 2024
Jared Goff talks about the @Lions trickery with @MeganOlivi 🔥 pic.twitter.com/JOwLqsvmt9
With the win, the Lions moved to 13-2 on the season, and held on to the top seed in the NFC with just two games left to play.
With a postseason run on the horizon, Johnson is only going to be cooking up craftier trick plays from here.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lions Fake Stumble Play Was Inspired by Actual Stumble of Division Rival.
