Thread by @NickOlsonNFL

#Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson put on a masterclass in offensive play calling last Sunday, taking every easy layup, dictating personnel and matchups, and sequencing plays to set up his kill shots.

Here's a thread on how he made things so easy for his offense on Sunday:

Good play callers take every easy yard given to them, and right now the #Vikings' zone heavy, miscommunication-prone defense is giving up plenty.

Here are four wide open Lions' receptions at the time of the catch—the latter two converting 3rd & longs. Lions took the easy yards:

Lions also took the easy yards when there was a numbers advantage -- as on the WR screen clipped below

...or when off coverage allowed for quick easy completions -- as on the quick out power RPO below:

One thing Johnson did consistently was motion into a stack and exploit Vikings' banjo coverage rules to establish easy inside leverage on glance/post/basic routes.

Lions did this all game but here are two notable examples that both converted on third and long:

Lions also did a great job using their TEs & FB to dictate personnel & force the Vikings into Base/Penny fronts, removing their numbers advantage in coverage, then attacking those DL-heavy looks with under center play action shots.

Best example is Jameson Williams' 41-yard TD:

But to me the most impressive thing Ben Johnson did was sequence his play calling to get defenses expecting one thing on a drive, then exploit those expectations and hit them with the exact opposite to huge advantage.

Two great examples from Sunday:

First, Johnson calls back-to-back pitch plays in the red zone: a pin pull outside zone followed by a pitch countering backside.

Two plays later, once the Vikings are fully keyed in on the pitch playside & backside, they fake the pitch & get a free release & easy TD on the slant:

Second—and my favorite—as the Lions are trying to drain the clock on their last drive, they come out with Penei Sewell as an eligible receiver.

On 1st & 2nd down, it's just window dressing for duo, but it lulls the Vikings into leaving him wide open to seal the game on 3rd down:

Lions also did a great job finding & exploiting the most vulnerable matchups:

• 1st play (four verts) gets an RB in space vs Jordan Hicks
• 2nd (all curls) gets a WR vs Hicks
• 3rd gets an RB Texas route vs an Edge
• 4th gets St. Brown vs an Edge

One step ahead all game.