It was a Sunday to remember. It wasn’t a close game; it was a 31-point deficit for HC Johnson’s Chicago Bears. Week 1 may have started on a distressing note for the Detroit Lions, but HC Dan Campbell and the new offensive coordinator, John Morton, made sure not to let it set the tone of the season. For the first time in franchise history, the Lions recorded 8.8 yards per play and encompassed 500 net yards of offense, along with five TDs and two rushing scores. Though Campbell has never been one to flaunt his victories, his wife hardly misses a chance to do it on his behalf. 

Hours after the game, Holly Campbell, wife of Dan Campbell, shared a social media post on Instagram with an image so descriptive and bold that she didn’t need to write a caption. Capturing the mood of every Lions fan, the image showed a powerful, scratched, gigantic lion picking up a bear cub. Subtle? Definitely not. It was a striking reminder of Detroit’s edge over its NFC North rival at Ford Field. Within minutes, her post went viral. 

When Ben Johnson joined the Bears the next day after the Detroit Lions’ playoff demise, it felt as if he was waiting for the season to be over. The Lion Pride instantly blacklisted him. As for HC Dan Campbell, he simply distanced himself from his former offensive coordinator. For the whole summer, he avoided the subject until recently, saying, “[Johnson] is always going to be my friend.” Of course, there wasn’t bad blood between them; Campbell’s competitive spirit was exponentially high against the Windy City. As it wasn’t about a win, it was about proving that the Lions are just as lethal without Johnson, who made them the No. 1 offense of 2024. As the night concluded, his wife made sure to remind Johnson who he had walked away from. 

The game already felt one-sided by the time the Lions reached the fourth quarter, leading at 45-21. Then, Campbell directed a fourth-and-goal, where quarterback Jared Goff connected with WR Amon-Ra St Brown for his third touchdown of the day. Moments later, the scoreboard reflected 52-21 in favor of Megatron. When Johnson (former architect of such plays in Detroit) was asked about the fourth-and-goal, he responded with a slightly annoyed voice. “What’s he supposed to do? It’s fourth-and-goal, what do you want him to do? Yeah, he could’ve kicked a field goal, they don’t kick field goals, they go for it there,” he said. 

Chicago couldn’t match Detroit’s explosive offensive attack despite a respectable statistical showing from quarterback Caleb Williams. The second-year signal-caller completed 19 of 30 passes for 207 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Williams demonstrated mobility by escaping pressure on multiple occasions, but he was still brought down 4 times for 29 yards in losses. More concerning was his continued accuracy issues, missing several open receivers for the second consecutive game – a pattern that’s becoming troublesome for the young quarterback’s development.

The Bears’ head coach knows very well that this loss was a punch in the face, yet he refused to call it demoralizing. If anything, Johnson is taking this as a lesson—a lesson to “play better.” Because it’s just two weeks into 2025, and his team already holds a losing streak, if this continues, making the playoffs in his debut season as head coach would be next to impossible. 

Dan Campbell savors victory

When Campbell addressed his players in the locker room, Johnson’s name wasn’t mentioned once. Contrary to popular belief, the Lions were celebrating their first win, not a win over Johnson’s Chicago. In his post-game locker room speech, it felt like Campbell was on cloud nine. “Man, there’s nothing like gettin’ your first win of the season,” he began. What mattered to him and his Lions was the fact that they rose above the competencies of Week 1. “And playing better than we did last week. A lot freakin’ better,” he added. 

Lions head coach Dan Campbell visibly enjoyed the dominant victory over Chicago. His enthusiasm stemmed from both relief and personal pride. The win helped Detroit avoid back-to-back losses while allowing Campbell to defeat his former offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson’s new team. “That was good — it wasn’t perfect — we left a lot out there,” Campbell said post game, suggesting the Lions could have performed even better despite the lopsided result. His comments reflected both satisfaction with the performance and belief that Detroit has even more potential to unleash.

Week 1, the Lions were a bundle of inconsistencies. The Green Bay Packers won 27-13 due to a slow offensive start, poor red zone execution, and their struggle to consistently stop the run. It was even predicted that if the Lions failed to show noticeable growth in Week 2, their inconsistency would become a bigger concern. 

But Campbell didn’t lose faith. “We believe in us. We’re the ones who put in the work. It’s like they forgot that we’re f***ing fighters,” he added. Detroit wasted no time in setting the tone against Chicago. On the opening drive, they marched 60 yards in five plays. They grabbed an early lead as running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored from one yard out. His backfield duo with running back David Montgomery was relentless. While he piled up 94 yards along with a touchdown on 12 carries, Montgomery added 57 yards and a score on 11 rushes. Together, the two kept the Lions’ defense off balance throughout. The season clash hasn’t ended between these two. The Lions and Bears will be facing each other once more in the final game of the season, Week 18. Who knows, the tables might have turned by then!