One of the staples of the Detroit Lions offense under coordinator Ben Johnson and with quarterback Jared Goff has been the use of the play-action pass. Simply put, nobody does it better.
Sunday’s Week 16 win in Chicago was the latest example of Goff’s play-action prowess. Per Zebra Technologies, the force behind NFL Next Gen Stats, Goff and the Lions set a new mark for the most play-action passing yards in a game for the 2024 season.
It wasn’t the first time the “Goff-ense” lit up the opponent with play-action passing. The package of Detroit’s excellent run game, the line selling the play-fake and Goff delivering crisp, accurate passes to the best target off the play-action makes for a consistently prolific attack. Three of the top four play-action passing games from the last two seasons come courtesy of Goff and the Lions.
Goff finished 23-of-32 overall for 336 yards and three TDs in Chicago. That means well over half his production came off play-action passes.