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Lions Fans Boo Ben Johnson in Return to Ford Field as Bears Head Coach

Liam McKeone

Ben Johnson was the Lions' offensive coordinator for the last two seasons.
Ben Johnson was the Lions' offensive coordinator for the last two seasons. / Kaitlin Sharkey, WGNT
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The Lions are hosting the Bears on Sunday in Week 2 NFL action that has a bit more juice than normal. Both are NFC North rivals and looking to earn their first win of the year after tough Week 1 losses. But it also marks Chicago head coach Ben Johnson's first game in Detroit. Johnson was a key part of the Lions' shocking turnaround from longtime punching bags to genuine contenders as a wunderkind offensive coordinator who helped Jared Goff to career-best numbers.

But this offseason Johnson chose to head to the Windy City and take over a Bears franchise in desperate need of direction, as well as a mentor for 2024 No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. It was not surprising to see Johnson depart the Lions as one of the top NFL head coaching candidates for a few cycles but it still must've stung to see him leave for a franchise rival.

It seems the fans feel as much, anyway. Ahead of kickoff on Sunday Johnson was heartily booed by the fans at Ford Field when he came out from the tunnel for the first time.

Johnson had a few very good years with the Lions and became a beloved figure for a while. But there will never be love lost in the NFC North. He's part of that rivalry in an inedilble way now.

It should be a fun day in Detroit with all those storylines, much less the football aspect.

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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

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