Was Ben Johnson Real Secret to Detroit Lions' Success?

The departure of former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson had a real impact on the Detroit Lions.

Detroit's offense has regressed, most notably in the run game. The offensive line has not performed well, and the scheme is not as adaptable as it had been during Johnson's tenure.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell indicated the Bears have been an improved team over the course of the past three months. Detroit was able to throttle its rival from the Windy City, 52-21, in Week 2 of the regular season.

“They’re more polished. They’re a better team," said Campbell. "Really since that time, they lead the league in takeaways on defense. I mean, they’re getting them. It’s like we talk about, it’s contagious for them. Those guys are getting them in a good way. Got one the other night. Once again, it turned into a touchdown. And it’s much more sound. (Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen) D.A.’s got his system in, and it’s grown and developed.

"And they’re keeping teams out of the end zone, keeping the offense ahead, that’s what you’ve got to do on defense, get the takeaways. That’s big," Campbell added. "And then offensively, they’re more polished. Ben's done a good job. The system is in, and these little things that were there game two, game one, they’ve begun to go away. They’ve got a run game."

Chicago went about its first offseason with Johnson at the helm in an aggressive manner, using free agency to rebuild its offensive line.

Detroit did not get the same level of impact from its free-agency signings last offseason.

"They’ve found a run game, play-action pass, Caleb (Williams)’s playing really well, O-line’s playing really well. Got a run game," said Campbell. "(D’Andre) Swift’s running well, (Kyle Monangai) 25, he’s a downhill, hard runner, too. Tight end’s playing good, both of them. Really all three of them. So, they’re playing at a high level. They’re doing things well. Much more polished.”

Under Johnson, Detroit's 2024 offense was among the most prolific scoring units in league history.

This season, there have been many more empty offensive drives and lulls at the worst possible time. What is quite evident is the level of detail has fallen off.

Johnson was notorious for running plays multiple times at practice until he was pleased with the outcome of the rep. This season, Detroit's lack of attention to detail has resulted in untimely penalties and procedural issues.

With Dan Campbell calling plays, there was a growing sense of predictability, which was not at all talked about during Johnson's run in Motown.

While Johnson's departure was quite significant, Detroit's front office and coaching staff should also be pointing fingers at themselves for how 2025 has gone down.

Trusting in-house coaching candidates, a flawed draft strategy the past couple of seasons and a "we're good" mentality have prevented the team from moving forward and have factored into the Lions regressing.

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