Detroit Lions pull off fake fumble trick play for Sam LaPorta touchdown vs. Bears

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson might get coal for Christmas. The play he called against the Chicago Bears while holding a two-score lead might be enough to land him on the Naughty List.

Already leading 27-14 early in the second half of the Week 16 game, Johnson called a fake fumble trick play with the Lions just outside of the red zone. It began with quarterback Jared Goff faking a stumble out of the snap and ended with a wide-open, 21-yard touchdown pass to tight end Sam LaPorta.

To pull off the trick play, Goff pretended to stumble as he faked a handoff to running back Jahmyr Gibbs. To further sell the fake fumble, Gibbs dropped to the ground and rolled as if he were chasing after a dropped ball.

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The quality of the fake was good enough to freeze the Bears' linebackers and defensive backs in place. Gibbs popped back up to execute a block, and Goff stood up straight, turned around and fired an easy touchdown pass to his tight end.

LaPorta's score was his sixth of the season. It gave Detroit a three-score lead within the first three minutes of the second half against its divisional rival in Chicago.

The Lions are still battling to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff bracket. They're looking for their 13th win in Week 16 by handing the Bears a ninth straight loss.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Detroit Lions' fake fumble trick play ends with TD vs. Chicago Bears