The Detroit Lions lost offensive coordinator Ben Johnson this offseason, as the Division Rival Chicago Bears hired him as their next head coach. Under Johnson, Detroit has had one of the league's best offenses the past three seasons. In 2024, the Lions' offense scored the most touchdowns in the NFL (70) and was one of the most explosive offenses in the league.
Explosivity became one of the core fixtures of Johnson's offense over his three seasons in Detroit. So, if his departure made fans worry that the offense would be less explosive going forward, it makes sense. Fortunately, it seems that the new offensive coordinator John Morton's philosophy on explosive plays matches what Johnson was doing.
According to Lions senior writer Tim Twentyman, Morton wants the big play to be a part of the Lions offense in 2025.
Lions new OC John Morton wants the big play to be a big part of Detroit’s offense in 2025 https://t.co/OA7YOvaPDl
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) March 27, 2025
Lions Offense to Remain Explosive in 2025
Typically, explosive plays are defined as rushes of 10+ yards and passes of 20+ yards. However, Morton explained that he views pass plays of 16-to-17+ yards and run plays of 10-to-12+ yards as explosive plays.
"I think you have to have explosive plays," Morton said. "You have to be able to do that. I think there's a certain amount of explosive plays you need in a game. An explosive, I always think seven or eight plays explosively (per game) is really good."
According to NFL.com, Detroit's offense accounted for 62 passes of 20+ yards and 11 passes of 40+ yards in 2024. Furthermore, the Lions had 14 20+ yard runs and three 40+ yard runs.
Of those runs, Jahmyr Gibbs had 25 rushes of 15 yards or more, while David Mongomery recorded five runs of 15+ yards. Although Gibbs led the league in 10+ yard rushes (41), Morton wouldn't consider all those rushes to be explosive plays.
That said, Morton would consider all 90 of the 20+ and 40+ yard runs and passes from the 2024 season as explosive.
Thankfully, Detroit's offense saw no major turnover in the 2025 offseason. As a result, Morton will be working with the same players that Johnson did, which means all he needs to do is call high-upside plays.
If he does that, the players have shown time and time again they can produce the type of explosive plays Morton is looking for. As long as that happens, Lions fans won't be able to tell a major difference in their offense moving forward.