Ben Johnson Cooked Up A Nice Fake-Fumble Trick Play Against The Bears Yesterday, Drawing Inspiration From Green Bay

I was at this game yesterday. I saw it happen and was so confused. Like the Bears defense, I also took the bait and thought Goff coughed up the ball and Gibbs dove on it. 

But nope. 

And I had zero idea, (or zero announcer to inform me of the chicanery). 

The mastermind behind this magic? None other than current Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who some believe was auditioning for the Bears head coaching job yesterday, and who has proven once again why he’s one of the sharpest minds in football. 

The guy is playing chess while everyone else is stuck on Candy Land. 

Johnson started scheming this play on Monday, taking inspiration from the Packers’ Jordan Love, who pulled off a similar trick against the Bears in Week 1. Love fumbled the snap (or at least made it look that way) and then found Luke Musgrave wide open for a 37-yard pass. Johnson saw it, took notes, and decided to raise the stakes.

Originally, the plan called for Goff to actually fumble, going full “fumblerooski.” But Goff, being the pragmatic leader he is, wasn’t sold. “At first, it started on Monday, with Ben asking if I thought I could fumble on purpose and pick it back up,” Goff admitted. “I said I don’t know about that.” So, they pivoted. Instead of fumbling, Goff pretended to trip over his own shoelaces while clutching the ball. Gibbs dove for imaginary scraps like a champ, selling the play so hard it probably belongs in a theater class curriculum.

And just like that, the Bears got bamboozled. Johnson’s genius, Goff’s acting, and Gibbs’ Academy Award-worthy dive turned a simple fake into a masterpiece.

The Lions are playing like a team that’s not afraid to take risks, get creative, and flat-out have fun while doing it. Ben Johnson deserves every ounce of credit for designing this play and trusting his players to execute it. The guy is putting on a masterclass in offensive creativity week in and week out. 

But doesn't it feel like something ominous is waiting in the wings for the Lions? 

Don't get me wrong, I love this team. And I love their fans even more. 

Nothing delights or excites me more than the thought of Lions fans invading and taking over New Orleans in February for the Super Bowl. 

And with Philly losing to Washington, and Minnesota nearly losing yesterday in Seattle, and a matchup to wrap up the season with them at Ford Field to determine who wins the division and possibly gets the bye, and homefield in the NFC, I can't help but think Philly is going to rip their heart out and ruin the party.

Dan Campbell, as fun as he is to watch and applaud for having gigantic balls when things go the Lions' way, rolls the dice wayyyyy too much. He makes coaching decisions like he's playing the Madden video game.

I still can't comprehend that onside kick last week against Buffalo. It just seems like a trip to the Super Bowl is going to come down to one of these ballsy/gutsy calls by Campbell and it's going to blow up in his face. 

I hope I'm wrong.