Ben Johnson has the Chicago Bears in the middle of an offensive renaissance. Remember, this organization hasn't produced a top 10 offense since 2013 and has only done it twice in the past 30 years. Johnson has the Bears ranked 6th in points scored and 4th in total yards through eight games. He's accomplished this with numerous moving parts. The Bears switched left tackles midway through the season. They've lost multiple starters to injuries and dealt with the inexperience of quarterback Caleb Williams. Despite all of that, things have coalesced into something exciting.
It was exactly why the Bears hired him.
By contrast, it sounds like frustration is mounting with his Detroit Lions replacement. John Morton was brought in as the team's new offensive coordinator this offseason. Things started great. The Lions averaged 38.4 points through the first five games of the season. However, things have cooled off since then, and cracks are starting to form. You could see from fan reactions to the team's 27-24 loss to Minnesota.
It appears the Lions are having a hard time adjusting when opposing defenses throw something unexpected at them. Minnesota did this by firing A-gap blitzes whenever Jahmyr Gibbs was on the field, forcing him into pass protection, which is not his strength. Even head coach Dan Campbell admitted the team did a poor job adjusting to that.
Ben Johnson was always a master at adjusting.
He proved it against the Cincinnati Bengals last week. Williams struggled in the first half, unable to find a rhythm. Rather than stick to the game plan, Ben Johnson shifted to a more quick-hitting passing attack in the second half. The hope was to string some completions together for Williams, getting him on track. It worked out. The Bears quarterback lit up the Bengals for 34 points in the 3rd and 4th quarters, capped by that epic 58-yard touchdown to Colston Loveland in the final seconds.
Detroit is still a really good team. They should make the playoffs, but at 5-3, it feels like they're not quite the team they were last year. Something is missing. That certain edge they seemed to have in every game. Johnson was that edge. His ability to maximize their already considerable talent made the Lions impossible to defend. With him gone, they've begun discovering what mortality feels like again.
