Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs Discuss Lions' 'Stumble Bum' Trick Play TD vs. Bears

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff detailed the process that led up to the team's unique trick play during a 34-17 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday

Goff revealed that offensive coordinator Ben Johnson came up with the concept in the week leading up to the game.

"It started on Monday with Ben asking me 'if he thought I could actually fumble on purpose and pick it back up?' and I was like, 'I don't know about that' and we kind of got off that pretty quickly," Goff said, per ESPN's Eric Woodyard.

The "stumble bum" trick play was executed in the third quarter against Chicago, as Goff and running back Jahmyr Gibbs pretended that a mishandled snap had occurred before the signal-caller stood upright and launched a touchdown pass to tight end Sam LaPorta.

Gibbs explained that Johnson dialed up the call earlier in the game, but it was scrapped.

"So, we called it before in the game, but we killed it because I guess it was a certain look," Gibbs said, via Woodyard. "But then we did it again a couple of drives later. I didn't know if it was going to work or not, but I was hoping."

The Lions jumped out to an early 20-0 advantage against the Bears on Sunday and didn't look back, maintaining a lead of at least two possessions for the remainder of the contest.

Johnson's creativity is a large reason why Detroit owns the NFL's No. 1 scoring offense, averaging 32.9 points per game. He hasn't been afraid to pull out trick plays on a weekly basis, with some proving to be more successful than others.

Johnson is expected to be a head coaching candidate for multiple vacancies once the year comes to a close, but he may decide to stay in Detroit after making the same choice during the 2024 offseason.

Sunday's victory put the Lions at 13-2 on the season as a whole, creating some more distance between themselves and the Philadelphia Eagles for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.