5 months ago
- Lions
- Published: Dec. 31, 2025, 2:26 p.m.
Ben Johnson knows very good nan threat a Detroit Lions squad pinch thing to suffer tin beryllium for a playoff team.
He was connected coach Dan Campbell’s unit successful Week 18 of nan 2021 play erstwhile a 2-13-1 Detroit squad knocked disconnected nan NFC-leading Green Bay Packers.
And again nan adjacent play nan Lions hit nan Packers to unafraid their first winning grounds successful a play successful 5 years, contempt not being capable to make nan postseason.
That’s why Johnson, now nan caput coach of nan Chicago Bears, knows not to return Sunday’s Week 18 matchup pinch Detroit lightly.
“Coming from that place, I conscionable cognize erstwhile you driblet nan shot down, they’re going to travel retired and they’re going to travel play,” Johnson said Wednesday. “That’s really really we attack it present arsenic well. So, I afloat expect a a awesome crippled connected Sunday afternoon.”
Detroit hasn’t mislaid a Week 18 crippled since it was introduced successful 2021, past dropping its last regular-season crippled successful 2020 nether interim coach Darrell Bevell.
The Lions (8-8) are playing for small much than pridefulness astatine this point. A nonaccomplishment would probably thief pinch a amended draught prime and an easier schedule, but that’s not thing Campbell aliases nan Detroit players will attraction to perceive about.
Winning would besides people 4 consecutive seasons pinch a winning grounds for nan franchise, thing past accomplished successful nan early 1970s.
Detroit’s mediocre tally of shape pinch 3 consecutive losses isn’t going to faze Johnson, who knows arsenic good arsenic anyone that his playoff-bound Bears (11-5) could beryllium nan adjacent to suffer an upset from nan Lions.
“They’re going to travel retired present and they’re going to fight. I mean, it’s what they do,” Johnson said. It’s going to beryllium a bully good situation for us. It’s a very bully team. I mean, this group has talent each complete nan place.
“Their defense is, I get it. They’ve fixed up immoderate points complete nan past fewer games, but I mean, they’re still a very stout front. I mean, these guys are flying to nan football. They create unit and you spot immoderate explosive plays, but they’re each contested...They play hard, they play fast, and they play physical.”
The Lions got nan amended of their erstwhile violative coordinator nan first clip around, dropping a season-high 52 points connected nan Bears successful a 31-point loss.
Chicago is surely playing nan amended shot arsenic of precocious pinch 7 wins successful their past 9 games. But nan Bears are besides reeling disconnected a constrictive nonaccomplishment to nan San Francisco 49ers past week and don’t want to caput into nan playoffs pinch back-to-back losses and a play expanse by nan Lions.
“I cognize they’re going to travel retired and fight. They’ve been successful this business earlier wherever they whitethorn person not made nan playoffs and they travel retired and they hit a squad that is going to nan playoffs,” backmost Caleb Williams said. “They’re going to travel retired and conflict and we sewage to clasp our own. We sewage to travel retired and lucifer that power if not more.”
- Lions-Bears preview: Has Chicago learned from Week 2 rout against Lions?
- Lions’ Dan Campbell said Browns guaranteed starting spot to young center
- Lions dream prima tight extremity tin return for training campy aft backmost surgery
- The doubters were right. Why nan Lions took a large measurement backmost this season.
- Lions suffer believe squad halfway who started past 2 games to Cleveland Browns
Jacob Richman is simply a sports newsman for MLive.com and covers pro and assemblage teams crossed Michigan. Before joining MLive, Jacob covered assemblage sports successful Texas astatine LoneStarLive.com pinch a attraction connected Texas A&M and...
