Ben Johnson may have taken some coaches with him from Detroit to Chicago, but one of his signature trick plays didn’t quite make the trip.
During Sunday’s Week 4 matchup between the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders, Johnson — now the Bears’ head coach — dusted off the “Stumblebum,” a misdirection play he first unveiled last season against Chicago while running the Lions’ offense.
On third-and-1 with 13:45 left before halftime, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams mimicked stumbling after the snap, while former Lions running back D’Andre Swift faked a trip before moving into pass protection.
The Raiders sniffed it out, forcing Williams to roll right and throw well off target to rookie receiver Rome Odunze.
The play’s origins go back to Detroit’s Week 16 meeting with Chicago last season.
Jared Goff faked a handoff to Jahmyr Gibbs, who deliberately stumbled and rolled on the turf as if he’d lost the ball, before hitting Sam LaPorta for a 21-yard touchdown that stretched the Lions’ lead to 34-14.
Since then, the “Stumblebum” has become part of Detroit’s culture.
In the Lions’ 52-21 Week 2 win over the Bears this season, safety Kerby Joseph mocked Johnson by reenacting the play after intercepting Williams in the second quarter.
“That’s that one play that Ben Johnson had did against Chicago when we played them (last season),” Joseph said after the Week 2 win.
This time, though, Johnson’s Bears couldn’t pull it off. The trick fizzled, but Chicago still edged the Raiders 25-24 at Soldier Field to even its record at 2-2.