The Detroit Lions are riding high after a breakout 2024 campaign, but not everyone is convinced they’ll keep the momentum going. And one big reason? Ben Johnson is now wearing navy and orange.
NFL Network’s Kevin Patra recently pointed to the Lions’ loss of Johnson — the mastermind behind Detroit’s high-flying offense — as a key reason the team could stumble this season. And it’s not just Johnson. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and other staffers are gone too, leading Patra to say the Lions could suffer from some serious “brain drain.”
Let’s be real: losing a guy like Johnson, who always seemed to know just the right time to pull out a trick play, is a huge hit. Sure, fans were frustrated with how the playoff loss was handled, but you can’t deny the offense thrived under his watch. Now he’s the head coach in Chicago, ready to mold rookie QB Caleb Williams into a star — and he gets to do it twice a year against Detroit.
His replacement, John Morton, has big shoes to fill. The last time Morton called plays in the NFL was with the Jets in 2017 — and that offense didn’t exactly light it up. If things don’t click with Jared Goff early, Detroit’s offense could slide back from elite to average real quick.
And let’s not forget the brutal schedule. Goff and the Lions will face a gauntlet of superstar QBs on the road: Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, Matthew Stafford — just to name a few.
The good news? Detroit still has a strong, young core on both sides of the ball. But with new faces on the sideline and tougher competition ahead, the 2025 season might be more of a grind than fans expect.
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