The Detroit Lions offense has been on the cutting edge of the NFL over the last few seasons. Led by former coordinator (and new Chicago Bears head coach) Ben Johnson, the Lions featured an explosive and balanced offensive attack that had a variety of ways to conquer defenses.
One thing the Lions didn't do under Johnson was utilize the pistol formation. In fact, no team has used it less than the Lions and quarterback Jared Goff, according to Aaron Schatz of FTN:
It makes some sense schematically. The pistol, where the QB is in a half-distance shotgun set and the single RB is directly behind him, isn't a good fit for Goff's precision pocket passing. Detroit also features a very good offensive line, and one of the advantages of the pistol is to protect weak offensive tackles from speed rushes around the edge. The Lions haven't had to worry about that with Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker manning the edges.
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Detroit Lions offense last in using pistol formation in 2024
