Both Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears fans were eagerly looking over every schedule leak leading up to Wednesday's official release for one reason: new Bears head coach and former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. It was one thing for Johnson, one of the hottest coordinators in the league, to finally take a head coaching job. But it was a blow for him to leave for an NFC North rival. Lions fans (and probably Dan Campbell, even if he wouldn't say it publicly) want revenge. They won't have to wait long to get it either as a new leak as the Bears visit the Lions in Detroit for a Week 2 matchup.
Noted NFL schedule leaker NFL Nerd on X/Twitter was the first to leak the news that Johnson will make his return to Motown in the second week of the season. Perhaps the only surprise in that matchup is that it doesn't appear that Bears-Lions will be played in primetime. Given the revenge game stakes with Johnson facing his former team, most thought the first matchup between Chicago and Detroit would be given that spotlight.
Surely, though, it will still get plenty of attention. For Johnson's part, it's a chance for him to prove himself as a head coach. For the Lions, however, it's a chance to make their former coordinator regret leaving Detroit for a rival team and not another job on the open market.
Lions can get revenge on Ben Johnson with Bears matchup in Week 2
With Johnson's arrival in Chicago, the Bears have made great efforts to put him the best position. They aggressively reshaped the offensive line protecting Caleb Williams, added another receiver in Luther Burden III and also helped improve the defensive depth as well. The Bears have, at least on paper, attempted to put Johnson and his new team in the mix of the loaded NFC North.
Therein lies the statement that the Lions can make, though. The Bears are joining the contention within the division while Detroit still remains the head honcho in that race. Yes, there are undoubtedly questions about what the Lions are with the turnover on Campbell's staff, not just losing Johnson but also Aaron Glenn and bevy of other assistants. And yet, they're still considered one of the favorites in the North and in the NFC at large.
Publicly, Campbell and the Lions have wished Johnson well on his new endeavors. Frankly, they were probably like many NFL fans in being surprised that he stayed in Detroit as the OC for as long as he did given how coveted of a head coaching candidate he was. At the same time, these are only humans and it's only human for the Lions as a whole to feel a bit bitter that Johnson's departure was to a team Detroit inherently has no love for and will play twice a year.
This first meeting in Week 2, however, could be when Detroit sets the tone for what this rivalry looks like in the coming years. There's a lot of things Ben Johnson has to like about being the Bears head coach, but this matchup can be a reminder that the grass still isn't as green as it is with the Lions.