The Lions' biggest fourth-down conversion in their win over the Ravens looked like a masterpiece. A perfect storm of play-calling, sequencing and execution.
With the offense near midfield inside the two-minute warning, the Lions got into a formation out of which they had called the same run several times that game. The Ravens, Jared Goff said this week, "were starting to anticipate that run out of that formation," and the Lions knew it.
When cornerback Marlon Humphrey bit at the line on a play-fake to David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown slipped past him and caught a perfect pass down the sideline from Goff. Montgomery scored from 31 yards out on the next play to put away the game.
Asked Thursday if the play unfolded as he envisioned, St. Brown sort of smiled and said, "We kind of messed it up a little."
As St. Brown explained, Kalif Raymond was supposed to be one of three receivers in the play, but he was fighting through something on the sideline. The Lions turned to Isaac TeSlaa to play the part of Raymond. When the rookie sprung into action, he wasn't entirely sure of his responsibilities.
"Tes comes running in, he goes, 'What do I have?' I said, ‘Hey man, I don’t really know, ask Jared,'" St. Brown said with a laugh.
TeSlaa's perspective?
"I knew where I was supposed to line up, I knew that much," he said. "I knew the play, I knew the concept. I knew Saint was diving in and running the (fade) and then Jamo was coming across, so I’m like, 'Saint, yo, what do I have?' He’s like, 'Bro, I don’t know, go ask Leaf.' So I’m looking for Leaf, I can’t find Leaf, I’m like, 'Jamo, you know what I got? He’s like, ‘Nah, bro.’ So we’re in the huddle about to call the play and Jared’s just like, 'You gotta block 1-2 and then go to the flat.'
"And then Saint was like, 'Yo, get ready, the ball’s coming to you.' And I was like, ‘Oh sh*t!'"
As the play is designed, St. Brown said he's supposed to kick inside and block Kyle Hamilton before slipping out on his route, "because on all those plays I’m inserting to get the safety." That would leave TeSlaa to block either Humphrey or corner Nate Wiggins depending on how the Ravens matched Detroit's receivers, his "block 1-2" assignment from Goff.
But TeSlaa wound up trying to block Hamilton when the safety triggered at the line, and nearly ran into St. Brown in the process. St. Brown improvised and saw that "Humphrey was the only guy standing there, so I faked to block him and then went" on the route.
TeSlaa, by now, had slipped into the flat, where he was blanketed by Wiggins and short of the sticks. Williams was also well-covered on his route down the middle of the field, which drew the attention of the safety. It was St. Brown or bust for Goff, as it often is in big moments.
"I see the ball go up and it’s like a perfect ball to Saint," TeSlaa said with a smile, "and I’m like, 'Oh, thank goodness.'"
All's well that ends well.
"It worked out for us," said St. Brown. "But the way it worked out was kind of funny."
While the play wasn't executed to perfection, the Lions did set it up well over the course of the game and called it at the right moment to exploit Baltimore's defense. In fact, Goff said that he discussed the play with Dan Campbell during the TV timeout for the two-minute warning before the offense went back on the field "and we both agreed that was probably the best thing to do. I’m glad they called it."
"That was one we had in our back pocket," said Goff, "kind of waiting for the right opportunity do it, and there was no better opportunity than right there."
The play was successful essentially as soon as Humphrey bit on the play-fake to Montgomery, who became a deterrent to Hamilton once the safety slipped into the backfield. Humphrey was flagged for holding St. Brown at the line, so the result of the pass, at that point, was almost academic. But the protection was solid across the line, giving Goff the time he needed to hit his favorite receiver.
"With him running the route and all the work we’ve put in, it’s really pitch and catch," said Goff. "He’s as good as they get, and I’m just throwing it out there in front of him and he does the rest."