What Ben Johnson's Worst Game Against the Lions Says About Their Gameplan on 'MNF'

The Bears Week 2 clash with the Vikings was Ben Johnson's first in Chicago in which he was schematically outmatched.

The weather undoubtedly played a role, but Minnesota's defensive coordinator Brian Flores pitched a perfect game. Johnson and Co. couldn't find the answers to the onslaught and suffered a 9-3 loss as a result.

You could make a strong case that Chicago's Week 2 matchup against Detroit last season was far more demoralizing. However, that was more of a defensive breakdown (considering the fact that they gave up 52 points), than an indictment of Johnson's play-calling. Their offense still moved the ball well and put 21 points on the board.

With that said, Johnson did experience one game with awfully similar vibes (at least on the offensive side of the ball) during his days in Detroit. The Lions traveled to Baltimore to take on the Ravens in Week 7 of the 2023 season, and they left with a crushing 38-6 blowout loss.

Lamar Jackson running with the ball — Oct 22, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) is pressured by Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson (97) during the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Johnson was on a similar trajectory to the one he's on in Chicago during his three years as the Lions' offensive coordinator. The 2022 campaign was the exception, since he was still learning the ropes, but he still had their offense rolling over the second-half of that season. By 2023, he was widely considered one of the league's premier play-callers.

The Ravens also had an elite defensive coordinator. Mike Macdonald, who led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl win last season, had Johnson's number on that sunny October afternoon.

The Lions reached the red zone three times, but only managed one touchdown. Baltimore's aggressive defense stymied their normally explosive offense. They averaged only 4.7 yards per play, more than a full yard fewer than their season average (5.9).

It's difficult not to see the parallels in virtually every aspect of the contest. The Bears averaged only 4.2 yards per play against Minnesota after averaging 5.7 yards last season (and a whopping 7.9 in Week 1). They also failed to capitalize on any of their three red zone trips.

Detroit's follow-up performance at least instills some reason for optimism, though.

Ben Johnson's Lions got back to the fundamentals

Jared Goff handing the ball to Jahmyr Gibbs — Oct 30, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) hands off the ball to running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) during the second half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Lions had a good chance to get back in the winning column against Las Vegas the next week. However, to their credit, the Raiders were feisty in 2023. They went on to finish the year 8-9 and had a league-average defense.

Their league-average defense stood no chance against a motivated Ben Johnson offensive attack, though. They allowed a season-high 486 yards, including 222 yards on the ground. That was one of only three games where they gave up over 400 yards, and it was 36 more yards than their second-worst performance.

The Lions also ran the ball 43 times in that contest, 29 more attempts than they had against Baltimore. Even if it's obviously not a one-to-one comparison between the Bears and Lions, that's a good indication of the gameplan we could see on Monday night.

Kyle Monangai running with the ball — Nov 28, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai (25) carries the ball defended by Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis (90) and safety Reed Blankenship (32) during the fourth quarter of the game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chicago's offensive line got the better of Philadelphia's defensive line in their 24-15 win last season, and Johnson will be relying on them to do the same this week. Johnson actually one-upped himself in that contest, bullying the Eagles' defensive front into submission with 47 rushing attempts.

Even if Caleb Williams is out there (which feels like a major long shot at this point), it's safe to assume they'll be pounding the rock early and often. D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai will have to once again put the offense on their back.

If they can repeat their 281-yard performance, then they should come away with an upset win on Monday night.

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