Ever since the Detroit Lions missed the playoffs last season, the biggest question has been about former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. After leaving the Lions to become the Chicago Bears head coach and leading them to win the NFC North, many have argued that Johnson was the reason for the Lions' success.

However, one NFL analyst believes that naming Johnson as the main reason for the Lions' success overlooks the overwhelming number of injuries and roster changes the Lions had.

“This isn’t a Ben Johnson vs. no Ben Johnson story,” wrote A to Z Sports analyst Mike Payton. “It’s a story about a roster that got gutted by injuries, lost its offensive line anchor with no warning, and still fielded a top-five scoring offense.”

Payton also argued that people have been cherry-picking Lions losses to point out the team's deficiencies when comparing their offense with and without Johnson.

“You can mold the story any way you want if you remove the right games and add in the right ones,” wrote A to Z Sports analyst Mike Payton. “The Lions averaged 19.3 points per game in their losses, which ranked 12th in the league. The Bears, for the record, averaged 22.6 in their losses. Not an absurd gap. And the Lions still finished with a better offense than Chicago in nearly every statistical category.”

Payton also pointed out how the Lions still finished with a better offense than Chicago in nearly every statistical category. He also explained how the 2024 Lions offensive line was one of the best but was a whole lot worse in 2025 and was still able to produce a top-six offense.

Meanwhile, Payton also expressed enthusiasm over the Lions replacing John Morton with Drew Petzing as their offensive coordinator. He also mentioned one particular stat that he believes should get Lions fans excited about an offense under Drew Petzing.

While the Lions might be looking at reaching a new level under Petzing, the Bears could also be reaching a whole new level under Ben Johnson, as the Bears could do something historic, according to an NFL analyst.

Ben Johnson expected to help Bears offense have a historic season

Within one season, Johnson has changed the Bears’ fortune. From finishing last in their division with a record of 5-12 and the 28th-best offense to divisional champions with a record of 11-6 and the 9th-best offense. This has prompted one NFL analyst to believe that they could do something historic.

While on The Athletic Football Show, Robert Mays predicted both wide receivers Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze to have career years next year under Ben Johnson.

“I think there’s a world where both do, but it’s like, both of them have like 1,200 yards and Colston Loveland has 1,000, and we’re cooking with gas,” said Mays. “Every single member of the Bears offense is going to break out this year.”

This wouldn’t be the first time that Johnson has both his wide receivers recording over 1,000 receiving yards. He did so in 2024 with the Lions with Amon-Ra St. Brown, who recorded 1,263 yards, and Jameson Williams, who recorded 1,001 yards.

However, with the eighth-toughest schedule this season, it will certainly be a challenge to have two, let alone three, outlets for Caleb Williams to record over 1,000 yards.

Do you think the Bears' offense will make history under Ben Johnson? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Dhruv Vishnu Nair

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore