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Lions Found Such a Creative (and Sneaky) Way to Get a First Down vs. Panthers

Detroit’s coaching staff thought outside the box for this one.
Kevin Sweeney|
Lions Found Such a Creative (and Sneaky) Way to Get a First Down vs. Panthers
Lions Found Such a Creative (and Sneaky) Way to Get a First Down vs. Panthers

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Detroit LionsCarolina Panthers

The Detroit Lions went deep into the bag of tricks during a 42–24 blowout victory Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

With the team in the red zone, Jared Goff lined up under center with running back David Montgomery behind him. While Goff looked like he was making checks at the line of scrimmage, center Frank Ragnow snapped the ball through Goff’s legs directly to Montgomery, who picked up a nice gain (and a first down) after catching the defense by surprise. It’s one of the coolest trick plays you’ll see, and another feather in the cap of rising star offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

Here’s a look at the awesome play.

Smooth.

According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, the wrinkle’s origins can be traced back to William & Mary football, which runs one of the most creative offenses in the country. But now that the Lions have brought it to the mainstream, it seems likely others will follow suit in trying out the play.

Fans clearly loved the design, using it as yet another example of why this year’s Lions group is different than the franchise’s moribund history.

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Kevin Sweeney
KEVIN SWEENEY

Kevin Sweeney is a staff writer at Sports Illustrated covering college basketball and the NBA draft. He joined the SI staff in July 2021 and also serves host and analyst for The Field of 68. Sweeney is a Naismith Trophy voter and ia member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

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