Detroit Lions loss of Ben Johnson stings NFC North rivalry

On January 21, 2025By Littum

Less than 48 hours after one of the most demoralizing defeats in their franchise’s storied history, the Detroit Lions suffered another deflating loss.

Ben Johnson, the architect of their high-octane attack, departs. His destination? Chicago, home of the Bears, the NFC North rival who just hired him as head coach.

In southeastern Michigan, the news was received as a blow to the solar plexus, sucking out the last bit of air left from the knockout blow Washington commanders dealt to Lions in the NFC Divisional Round on Saturday.

While Johnson’s departure this offseason was expected, his landing spot wasn’t as easy to predict. There was speculation that he could end up in Jacksonville with the Jaguars or in Las Vegas with the Raiders, who – in theory — would have placed Johnson out of sight and out of mind among those who live, breathe and consume Lions football.

But now Johnson will soar in the closest distance as a new opponent. All of his clever schemes, brilliant concepts, celebrated trick plays and creative personnel maneuvers that have helped spark the Lions’ ascension over the past three seasons will be used to revive a familiar foe that has fallen on hard times.

Under mismanagement, the Bears have become perennial losers as they tumble toward the bottom of the conference.

They haven’t had a winning record since 2018, and Johnson’s four most recent predecessors have either failed to achieve success or have been unable to sustain it beyond a season, leaving the organization the laughing stock of its coaching ineptitude.

This past fall, the Bears lost games in the most ridiculous ways, including a last-second Hail Mary from Washington, a potential game-winning field goal blocked by Green Bay and finally letting time run out on their final drive in a 23-20 loss to the Lions on Thanksgiving Day. The clock management failure led to the firing of Matt Eberflus 24 hours laterwhich created the opening for Johnson.

Unlike Eberflus, Johnson oozes competence.

In Chicago, he’ll have access to $66 million in projected cap space, a top-10 pick in April’s draft and a roster that includes a solid defensive core as well as several exciting offensive pieces. Caleb Williams, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick who struggled in his first year as the Bears’ starting quarterback, is there. So is a talented receiving corps with DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. Then there’s D’Andre Swift, the versatile former Lions running back who worked under Johnson in his first season as coordinator. With Johnson going, there’s reason to believe the Bears could take a big leap forward after averaging 18.3 points per game. match to 28.^th in scoring last season.

That should send tremors through the rest of the NFC North, which was already the most competitive division in the NFL this season. The Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers all won at least 11 games and made the playoffs. The Bears were the shadow, a miserable mess with no apparent compass.

But now Johnson comes to guide them in the right direction, bringing with him proprietary knowledge of the coveted recipe he helped create in Detroit.

The idea of Johnson using this formula for success against the Lions twice each season must be hard to accept for the organization that put him on the path to getting the Bears job.

It must be especially tough in the wake of the playoff loss that prevented Johnson and the Lions from completing their Super Bowl mission together before the inevitable day came when they parted ways.

Contact Rainer Sabin at [email protected]. Follow him @RainerSabin on X