The Detroit Lions, who were favorites to capture the last Super Bowl before their unexpected playoff exit, find themselves in a precarious position as perceived by some NFL pundits.
Dan Campbell gets it.
“That’s the level we’re aspiring to meet now,” stated Campbell, in his fifth year coaching the Lions. “This is the reality of our current situation, and it’s positive—it signifies we’ve progressed from where we once were.
“That’s our world, but I know that if we felt that way and acted that way, we’d be in trouble.”
Entering this season, Detroit had lingering concerns regarding its revamped offensive line and a lack of pass rush, and these issues were not alleviated in their Week 1 matchup against Green Bay.
Following their lowest-scoring game since 2023, the Lions are set to face their former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Ford Field.
Recent seasons have seen the Lions wield one of the NFL’s most formidable offenses, relying on their line to create opportunities for the running game and facilitate Jared Goff’s play-action throws. However, with only two starters returning to their previous positions on the line, the Packers capitalized for a commanding victory.
Detroit didn’t have a sack on defense and Aidan Hutchinson failed to make one tackle in his highly anticipated return from a broken leg fell.
Hutchinson is confident that the Lions will recover, as they have consistently done for the past 2 1/2 seasons. After beginning the 2022 season 1-6, they have avoided consecutive losses in the regular season.
“We got a good history of responding,” Hutchinson said. “It’s going to be good for us.
“There are a lot expectations this year. To lose like that, I am sure people will be really down on us. That’s where we thrive, when everybody doesn’t believe in us.”
Campbell, though, said the critics don’t motivate him.
“What fuels my tank is losing,” he said.
Ben’s back
Johnson joined Detroit’s staff in 2019 under former coach Matt Patricia. As Campbell’s offensive coordinator the previous three seasons, he became one of the top candidates in the NFL’s coaching carousel.
After withdrawing from consideration in Washington and Seattle following the 2023 season to stay with the Lions, he eagerly accepted Chicago’s offer to coach quarterback Caleb Williams and lead a franchise that hasn’t had a winning record since 2018.
“One of the unfortunate parts of making that decision, you were saying goodbye to a lot of friends and a great place,” Johnson said.
Grounded
Detroit’s running game was one of the best last season when Johnson was calling plays, averaging 146 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry.
Green Bay stopped the Lions in their tracks last week.
Former Bears running back David Montgomery had 11 carries for 25 yards and Jahmyr Gibbs was limited to 19 yards on nine carries.
Up, and down
The Bears devoted a big part of their offseason toward helping Williams develop after an uneven rookie year. They hired Johnson and rebuilt the offensive line, most notably acquiring two-time All-Pro guard Joe Thuney in a trade with Kansas City.
In Week 1, Williams looked a lot like he did last year as the Bears lost an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead at home in a loss to Minnesota.
Williams had some success, running for his first career touchdown on his first possession and completing his first 10 passes. As he often did as the No. 1 overall pick last year, consistency was elusive and he finished 21 of 35 for 210 yards with a TD along with 58 yards rushing and a score.
“Some of it is just trusting and believing,” Williams said. “That’s the biggest part of it is being able to trust coach Johnson and trust my teammates.
“There was a lot of positive that came out of that. Obviously, we had negatives.”
Bring the noise
The Bears were penalized 12 times for 127 yards in Week 1. They had four false starts, potentially posing a problem for them at one of the loudest stadiums.
“That place has really turned into one of the strongest home-field advantage places, I think, in the National Football League,” Johnson said of Ford Field. “We’ll have our work cut out for us. We’ll have to be able to communicate within that hostile environment.”
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