With there being a tease that the Detroit Lions were going to have a "crazy" Week 1 game, the stage was set for Ben Johnson to face his former team as the head coach of the Chicago Bears.
Given the animosity that Lions fans now have toward Johnson, seeing him in Week 1 would have created the ultimate NFC North cinema for the first week of the 2025 NFL season. With the schedule set to be released in full on Wednesday night, there will be leaks throughout the day that will allow fans to piece together the Bears' schedule.
Thanks to Jordan Schultz, we now know the Bears won't be playing the Lions in Week 1.
After Terrion Arnold's tease on Tuesday night, the idea of Lions playing the Packers feels like a letdown. Now, over the last two seasons, the Lions and Packers have been at the top of the NFC North in recent seasons. Of course, it's a rivalry that the Lions have dominated, sweeping the Packers in two of the last three seasons.
Given the landscape of the NFC North, the Lions and Packers are entering the 2025 season as the favorites to once again be at the top of the division. There's no doubt that it will be one of the highlights of Week 1, but it feels like the NFL missed the obvious choice.
Johnson's Bears facing the Lions would have been one of the best ways to open the 2025 season. Especially, when you consider the heel turn Lions had for Johnson after the team's loss to the Washington Commanders in the playoffs last season. Johnson leaving the Lions after that game to become the Bears' head coach only added to the wounded feelings for Detroit fans. Alas, that is a game that Bears and Lions fans will need to wait for, at least, one week through the 2025 season.