My oh my how the mighty have fallen in the Motor City.
One year after bolting the Detroit Lions as their offensive coordinator to become the head coach of the Chicago Bears, Ben Johnson's replacement, John Morton, has been relieved of his duties as offensive coordinator. The team announced the move after a year of up-and-down performance from the offense.
Despite the Lions being a top-five offense under Morton as offensive coordinator, trouble began brewing when Campbell took over as the play-caller midway through the season. Detroit missed the playoffs with a 9-8 record.
Lions must be missing Ben Johnson after one year of being gone
The Bears have benefited significantly from having Johnson in the building as head coach. This is a Chicago offense that went from the bottom five in 2024 to the top five in 2025, an instant turnaround because of Johnson's influence. Most of that was because of the combination of having one of the NFL's best rushing attacks and the offensive line improving, going from allowing 68 sacks in 2024 to just 24 this season.
Detroit has gone off in a different direction offensively with inconsistent play-calling and trouble closing out games. It showed this season in the lack of creativity in the play calling that Johnson had shown over the last three years as the offensive coordinator.
It feels like the script has been flipped: the Bears are 11-6, NFC North champions, and in the postseason. As the Lions, they are 9-8, out of the playoffs, and now looking to rebuild their offensive coaching staff for the 2026 season.
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Chicago fans have to be feeling good about the future of the franchise, as they can say, "At least we are not like the Lions."