The Detroit Lions fake a stumble play for a TD in their win over the Chicago Bears

FIRST DOWN: THE WRONG STUMBLE

It was a play that Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson had originally talked about incorporating into Sunday’s game plan early last week, which called for quarterback Jared Goff to intentionally fumble the ball, running back Jahmyr Gibbs to fake the ball and Goff held onto the ball and threw it to what they expected to be a wide-open Sam LaPorta for a touchdown.

“We worked on it all week. We played it three or four times a week,” Goff said after Sunday’s 34-17 win over the Chicago Bears. “First it started on Monday with Ben asking me if he thought I could actually fumble on purpose and actually pick it up. I said, ‘I don’t know?’

“We got away pretty quickly and just act like we’re falling and I fumble but I keep the ball. I think the part with Gibbs where he dives really sells the style of play. “It worked like a charm.”

The fake stumble/fumble stunned the Bears’ defense and certainly fooled the Soldier Field crowd, who gasped when Goff faked stumbled after the snap. He got back up and turned to see LaPorta wide open, leading to a 21-yard touchdown that gave the Lions a 34-14 lead in the third quarter.

“Ben, that was one of his ideas,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. “It started like that and we massaged it and worked on it. How do we make this thing better? Only Goff, Gibby, LaPorta and the offensive line make it work. We cooked it all week and they did a hell of a job.”

Campbell said these are the types of plays that are fun when they work because everyone is engaged in them all week. He said it was fun, different and fundamentally sound, which for him were the best trick games.

“It was just great to see,” Campbell said. “Better than practicing.”