Missing several key starters on offense, expectations were lower than ever for the Detroit Lions as they set to face off against the Denver Broncos.
The play of the game for Detroit came at the end of their second possession. The offense already had one three-and-out and the Lions were down two scores by the end of the first quarter. On this drive, Detroit did something nobody expected — they put up a fight.
Up until this big play, Jared Goff and the offense moved the ball 68 yards on six plays. Goff was throwing the ball well and running back Craig Reynolds, who was called up from the practice squad the day before, had 41 yards on the ground.
With seven yards left to go until they hit paydirt, the Lions drummed up quite the play. Goff lined up under center with Godwin Igwebuike in the backfield. Wide receiver Kalif Raymond was the only player split out wide on the left side, and receivers Josh Reynolds and Amon-Ra St. Brown were set up in the slot on both sides of the line. Tight end Shane Zylstra lined up next to Penei Sewell and served as an extra blocker on the line.
Before the play, Raymond began to motion inside and the cornerback covering him followed, as it appeared the speedy receiver would run a sweep. The ball was snapped and Goff faked an inside handoff to Igwebuike. At the same time, Raymond ran towards Goff, making it seem like he’d be taking the handoff instead.
Raymond then cut back and ran a swing route. Goff sold the play-action. With a clean pocket, he was able to take a second to assess his options. St. Brown and Reynolds both ran slants but were blanketed by multiple defenders in the endzone. Igwebuike initially made a block on his fake run but cut back for a short route.
Goff checked the ball down to Raymond, who was at least 10 yards from the nearest defender. The ball was caught at the 10-yard line and Raymond was able to easily take it in for the score.
Kalif Raymond reverses course for the @Lions TD. #OnePride
📺: #DETvsDEN on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/mlMRaci5HC— NFL (@NFL) December 12, 2021
The scoring drive, capped off by this particular play, proved something about the Detroit Lions. Despite being down key players at just about every position, they still stayed competitive.
