The Detroit Lions’ 2025 season was a rough experience, made worse by the success former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson had with the Chicago Bears.
In Johnson’s first season as head coach, he led Chicago to its first NFC North championship since 2018 and its first divisional playoff appearance since 2010. As a result, Bears fans praised him, getting “Good, Better, Best” tattoos in honor of his locker room mantra and commending his antics against the Green Bay Packers.
While Lions fans probably shared Johnson’s feelings about the Packers, it took just one week for Bears fans to pull a 180 on their coach after some questionable decision-making during a 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams may have ended the honeymoon period.
Ben Johnson’s Decision-Making Blunders Are Familiar to Lions Fans
Johnson’s Bears didn’t have a bad game statistically as they outgained the Rams 417-340 in total offense and averaged 5.1 yards per play. But they also were held back at certain points due to Johnson’s play-calling. The Bears went for it six times on fourth down over the course of the game, and while they converted three of them, the other three came while they were in field goal range for Cairo Santos.
It’s also notable that on the six times they did go for it, Caleb Williams attempted just one pass, with Johnson opting to lean on his running game after admitting it had “dipped” in recent weeks.
This was most glaring when the Bears, down 17-10 with 5:14 left in regulation, faced a first and goal at the Rams’ five-yard line. After running it three times with running back D’Andre Swift for a total of three yards, Johnson finally let Williams throw the ball, but the pass intended for rookie wideout Luther Burden was incomplete on fourth down, giving the ball back to Los Angeles.
If it weren’t for the Rams failing to run out the clock and quarterbackCaleb Williams throwing a miraculous 14-yard touchdown pass to Cole Kmet on fourth down, Johnson’s decision-making would be under an even bigger microscope. But that wouldn’t have been necessary if Johnson decided to kick the ball on fourth down and perhaps come away with a victory in regulation.
Hindsight is 20/20, but Johnson’s decision-making in the playoffs has been far from it. According to X user "Section 344 Lions," Johnson has produced six turnovers on downs, two lost fumbles, and eight interceptions while being outscored by 35 points in his last 14 quarters as a playcaller dating back to the second half of the Lions' 2023 NFC Championship Game to the San Francisco 49ers, where they held a 24-7 lead going into halftime.
That also includes the 45-31 playoff loss to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round one year ago, where the Lions converted both fourth-down attempts and racked up 521 yards of total offense, but also threw four interceptions, including an ill-fated Jameson Williams trick play in the fourth quarter.
Of course, this won’t lead to Johnson getting canned after he led Chicago to its most successful campaign in 15 years. It could also be interesting to watch if the 7-4 record in one-score games gets flipped next season. Even more intriguing is the possibility that several head coaches could get poached from his staff this offseason, making things even more difficult in 2026.
In some ways, the pendulum has already swung with the Bears falling 24-3 at halftime before rallying for a 31-27 victory over the Packers in the wild card round and Sunday’s loss to the Rams. But it’s something Lions fans will definitely be watching going forward, as Johnson’s decision-making could be the equivalent of forgetting to put the cap on the toothpaste.