Lions Offense Shows They Don’t Need Ben Johnson to Pull Out the Trickery

New offensive coordinator John Morton hasn't been shy about throwing in his own wrinkles.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs runs the ball against the Baltimore Ravens. / Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions still love trick plays.

For years under former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Detroit routinely used creatively designed plays to fool opposing defenses. Despite Johnson taking over as head coach of the Chicago Bears, the Lions are continuing to run trick plays.

On Monday night against the Baltimore Ravens, Detroit broke out several fun wrinkles, each of which really worked.

Midway through the third quarter, on first-and-10 from Baltimore's 35-yard line, the Lions mixed things up. Quarterback Jared Goff pitched the ball to running back David Montgomery, who rushed to the right side, then threw it backwards back to Goff. Once he secured it, Goff fired an 17-yard strike to Amon-Ra St. Brown

Video is below.

Dialed up some MNF trickery #DETvsBAL 📺 ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/KYPFmbLR7M

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 23, 2025

On their next drive, the Lions broke out another unique play, this time a run. On fourth-and-1 from Baltimore's 4-yard line, Goff lined up under center and handed the ball to St. Brown. As he ran to the right, St. Brown pitched it to Jahmyr Gibbs in a modified option, and the third-year running back scampered into the end zone to give Detroit a 28-21 lead.

Step 1: Hand it to Amon-Ra ✅
Step 2: Pitch it to Jah ✅
Step 3: Hit the TD celly ✅ pic.twitter.com/GlZiAL13zy

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 23, 2025

While Johnson is still successfully calling trick plays in Chicago, the Lions haven't skipped a beat without him. Head coach Dan Campbell and new offensive coordinator John Morton are clearly all-in on these gadget calls.

And they're still working.

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