No Ben Johnson, No Problem: Lions Prove Their Offense is Still Creative, Aggressive

Before David Montgomery’s 31-yard touchdown late in the Lions’ Monday game against the Ravens, a run that helped seal Detroit’s impressive 38-30 win, two teammates played an integral role in creating the rushing lane.

Pre-snap, tight ends Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright were at the front of a three-man stack with Montgomery behind quarterback Jared Goff. Then they shifted simultaneously to the left side of the formation, up to the line of scrimmage, forcing Baltimore’s defensive line to slide over. And when Montgomery received the hand off, Wright’s block on Ravens defensive end Brent Urban gave the veteran tailback enough time to bounce back to his right, climb to the second level and outrace the secondary into the end zone.

It was one of 11 times that Detroit showed the Maryland-I formation, popularized by legendary college football coach Tom Nugent in the 1950s. Featuring three running backs stacked single file directly behind the quarterback, it’s a run-heavy formation that gives an offense multiple options and creates deception. The Lions even called it a few times with Montgomery, LaPorta and fellow star back Jahmyr Gibbs in the backfield together.

In addition to the touchdown, Detroit created four short down and distances (three or fewer yards to the line of gain) and two conversions out of the set.

“I showed up Wednesday and that was in the game plan,” Goff said of the Maryland I formation.

It served as an example of how the team has remained innovative and assertive offensively without Ben Johnson, Detroit’s star playcaller the past three seasons before leaving to become head coach of the Bears. After a rough start to the season, a 27-13 loss to the Packers, the Lions (2-1) have shown that they’re still the Lions of the past few seasons with new coordinator John Morton calling offensive plays.

Detroit had a 52-point outburst against Chicago in Week 2, not letting up on the onslaught or pulling starters deep into the fourth quarter with the game secured. And the Lions continued to be aggressive against the Ravens, going 3-for-3 on fourth down.

It started on the opening drive. With the Lions facing a fourth-and-3 from the Ravens’ 11, Goff hit receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown for seven yards, setting up Gibbs’ first touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

At the start of the fourth quarter, facing a fourth-and-1 from the Ravens’ 4 with the game tied at 21, Detroit showed some creativity in its aggression. Goff handed the ball off to St. Brown, who pitched the ball in the flat to Gibbs, who ran into the end zone.

“In the meeting room, the play was on the screen, and [Gibbs] sits next to me, and he goes, ‘Bro, we are not calling this play,’” St. Brown recalled. “And I said, ‘Just because you said that, we are calling it this week. Watch.’ Sure enough, we called it, and it worked.”

Montgomery’s game-sealing touchdown run was set up at the two-minute warning of the final period, when Detroit faced a fourth-and-2 from its own 49. Goff hit St. Brown for 20 yards.

The Lions also went 7-of-14 on third down, and had two touchdown drives of at least 95 yards.

“I thought his rhythm was great,” Goff said of Morton. “I thought his third downs were probably the best part of everything we did. Everything was great.”

Yes, everything in Detroit still looks great, even with no Ben Johnson.

Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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