Ever since Dan Campbell became the head coach of the Detroit Lions, Thanksgiving football has become must-watch TV. However, there’s an extra layer of tension this year.

That’s because this year Detroit will be facing the Chicago Bears, whose head coach is Ben Johnson. Johnson used to be the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions.

This is the first time Johnson will face Campbell after spending multiple seasons building one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses.

“The NFL is expected to have Ben Johnson and the Bears face Dan Campbell and the Lions on Thanksgiving Day,” reported Jordan Schultz on his official FOX Sports account on X.

Bears fans wasted no time mocking the Lions after Schultz shared the post. They have been hyping up the possibility of Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson spoiling Thanksgiving for Detroit. 

Johnson’s history with the Lions has made this matchup especially interesting, since he played an integral part in Jared Goff’s career revival. He also turned the Lions into one of the NFL’s most dangerous offensive units.

However, the Lions have not been the same since his departure.

The Lions’ first season without Johnson, who joined in 2022 and left in 2024, was very much a disappointment. The Lions missed the playoffs entirely, a stark difference from the first seed they had achieved just the season before.

Johnson, meanwhile, led the Chicago Bears to the playoffs for the first time since 2020 and secured a division title. They even won their Wild Card matchup against the Packers before losing to the Rams. 

With the Bears coming off a stellar campaign and the Lions coming off a disappointing season, both the Bears, who will be wanting to showcase that the last season was not a one-off, and the Lions, who will want to bounce back, will both be eager to win the matchup and it will for sure be a treat-to-watch.

Even though the Bears won the NFC North last season, they went 0-2 against the Lions. However, this time, Bears fans believe it will be a landslide victory for the Bears.

Fans Clash After Schultz’s Post Announces Lions and Bears Matchup

While NFL fans are excited to watch this matchup, Bears fans are feeling more than confident that they will beat the Lions comfortably and ruin Thanksgiving for the Lions and their fans.

One Bears fan commented, “Gonna ruin Thanksgiving for everyone at Ford Field 🫡,” since the game will be held at the Lions' home stadium. 

One user posted a video of the NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo dancing along with a caption of, “Yes! Bears get to play “Jared Goff” and the 4th place Lions on Thanksgiving!”

Another fan also commented on the fact that the last time the Bears had gone to Detroit, they had Matt Eberflus. They thought how this time was going to be different, writing, “Thanksgiving revenge with no Eberflus to bail Detroit.”

However, Lions fans are still very much optimistic with one fan saying, “Ben Johnson led Detroit’s offense to historic heights. Then he left. Now he’s bringing the NFC North champion Bears to his old home. The turkey won’t be the only thing getting carved.”

Meanwhile, one fan showed that he was not worried by commenting, “Stress free Thanksgiving it doesn’t get any better than this.”

Another Lions fan confidently wrote, “The Lions will win this game by 10+ and I’ll be back to this post when they do 🤝."

While some Packers fans will also be tuning in to see either of their division rivals lose, NFL fans all around are excited for this matchup on Thanksgiving and it will for sure be a treat to watch.

Read more at the Detroit Lions Community!

Written by

Dhruv Vishnu Nair

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit