Well, if there was any doubt that the Detroit Lions were going to take their first game against the Chicago Bears and Ben Johnson personally, they put that to bed not once, not twice, not even three times, but a whopping eight times. Eight scores on Chicago's defense led to a completely demoralizing loss for the Bears, and quite the confidence boosting win for Detroit.
Yes, Chicago's defense might just be that bad. Their offensive line, which allowed four sacks on Caleb Williams, may not be as revamped as it was let on this offseason. Detroit exploited all of that, and then some, in this Week 2 rout. And, that doesn't make their effort any less impressive.
A hat trick from Amon-Ra St. Brown and a five touchdown afternoon from Goff can't be ignored, just as a two takeaway game for the Lions' defense can't be ignored, either. It's obvious that Detroit wanted to send a crystal clear message to Johnson: we don't need you, but you need us.
Johnson run out of Ford Field after Lions thoroughly dismantle Bears
The Lions put up 177 rushing yards, 334 receiving yards, eight total scores (touchdowns and field goals combined), two takeaways, and four sacks against the Bears. It wasn't even close. You'd be hard pressed to find a more dominant performance, top to bottom, by a team. It completely evaporated the memory of the Lions' hearty defeat at the hands of the Green Bay Packers.
We've heard all season long just how critical Johnson was to the Lions' offense and its structure, and how he was a big part of why the team had succeeded at such a high level over the last two seasons.
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Never mind that the team has kept together a large part of their star core including Goff, St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs, and David Montgomery on offense - Johnson's departure would surely cause a major regression from Detroit.
The overreactions to the Lions' Week 1 loss to what is clearly an elite Packers defense would make anyone's head spin had they only tuned in to this week's contest. This was a Detroit offense with confidence, good communication, and excellent pass protection afforded to Goff all game long. None of which happened due to Johnson.
This was a perfect bragging rights game to win prior to the Lions' huge Monday Night Football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3.