By Blessing 
Missing in Action: The Curious Disappearance of This Lions Formation
With the departure of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, it’s easy to raise eyebrows and wonder if the Detroit Lions’ offensive identity will take a hit. After all, Johnson played a major role in maximizing quarterback Jared Goff’s strengths over the past couple of seasons. But the Lions aren’t exactly starting from scratch. New offensive coordinator John Morton isn’t coming in to flip the playbook upside down. He was already on staff in 2022, and his familiarity with the system means the offense won’t veer far from what fans have grown accustomed to.
Morton has already made it clear: the Lions’ offense will remain centered around what Goff does best. That likely means more of the same in terms of structure and play design. Of course, Goff has his limitations—he’s not a mobile quarterback, and he doesn’t pose much of a threat with his legs. Critics often point to these facts, and while some fans rush to defend him against so-called “Goff hate,” those limitations are simply part of the reality the Lions work within.
Under Johnson, Detroit’s offense was known for its creativity, balance, and smart usage of personnel. Those characteristics should carry over with Morton calling plays. But when it comes to certain offensive formations, especially the ones that depend on a quarterback’s mobility, the Lions clearly had no interest in forcing a square peg into a round hole.
One formation in particular stood out for its near-total absence from Detroit’s playbook last season: the pistol. According to Aaron Schatz of FTN Fantasy, the Lions used the pistol formation at the lowest rate in the NFL.
“Interesting tidbit from the FTN Almanac Strategic Tendencies tables that I’m putting together,” Schatz wrote. “2024 was the first season we’ve tracked where all 32 teams used the pistol formation on at least a handful of plays. Atlanta used it most (34.6%), Detroit used it least (1.6%).”
For those unfamiliar, the pistol formation positions the quarterback in a sort of hybrid between shotgun and under-center—about four yards behind the line of scrimmage, with a running back lined up directly behind him. The formation gained popularity in the mid-2000s thanks to former University of Nevada head coach Chris Ault, and it’s particularly effective when the quarterback is a legitimate running threat. That, of course, is not Jared Goff’s game.
As Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire explained, the pistol can also be used to help protect weaker offensive tackles from speedy edge rushers. But with bookends like Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker, the Lions aren’t exactly desperate for help in that department.
So it’s no surprise Detroit practically ignored the pistol. The formation just doesn’t fit their personnel, and there’s little benefit in using it for the sake of novelty. Still, it would be intriguing to see how those few pistol snaps played out. Did they offer any tactical advantage? Were they productive by traditional metrics like yards per play, success rate, or EPA? That’s something Schatz may explore further as he compiles deeper data.
Until then, one thing is clear: the Lions know who they are on offense—and who they’re not. The pistol formation? It’s not part of their identity, and likely won’t be any time soon.