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The Lions caught everyone by surprise in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Rams when they not only scored a 63-yard touchdown on their opening drive, but then proceeded to attempt a surprise onside kick immediately after.
And it worked to perfection, with Tracy Walker recovering the kick to give the Lions offense another possession before Matthew Stafford even stepped foot on the field.
That was just the start of the Lions’ creativity on special teams because in addition to their onside kick, they pulled off not one fake punt, but two. The first was a pass to Bobby Price for a 17-yard gain on fourth-and-7, with the second conversion coming in the third quarter on a 28-yard run by C.J. Moore.
Sean McVay was visibly furious on the sideline after the Lions’ second fake punt, understandably frustrated by his team’s inability to stop Detroit. But after the game, McVay said the Rams weren’t surprised by the Lions’ trickery.
“That’s what’s a little bit disappointing. That was not stuff that we were surprised by, but we didn’t execute and they did,” McVay said. “They created a bunch of momentum, ended up having two fake punts and a surprise onside kick. Both of those things were things that we did anticipate and expect, but we didn’t execute and they did. That wasn’t good and it’s a lot of things that we can learn from.”
Surprise onside kick?! #OnePride
📺: #DETvsLAR on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/1aSy5RAhSj— NFL (@NFL) October 24, 2021
When asked specifically about the second fake punt, McVay says they weren’t caught off guard that time. They were in a safe situation, preparing for the possibility of a punt. But Moore got outside and broke into the open field, picking up a huge chunk of yardage.
“No. We were in a safe situation, we lost the edge, they ended up – again, they made the plays and we didn’t in that phase and it almost changed the outcome of the game,” he said.
Every team prepares for the possibility of an opponent to attempt a fake punt or onside kick. The Rams certainly practice those situations, and it’s not exclusive to the Lions. McVay called it a “wakeup call” for his team and something they’ll have to be better about in the future because mistakes like that can’t happen.
The Lions’ special teams conversions nearly changed the outcome of the game.
“I think you’re always on alert for it if you think that’s a possibility teams could give that to you,” McVay said. “It was something that you do work throughout the course of the week with your weekly rhythm and process with the kicking game. It’s a good wakeup call for us and something that we’ve got to do a much better job moving forward.”
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