The Detroit Lions’ offensive performance against the Chicago Bears in Week 14 was among their lowest of the season. Their 267 yards gained were the fewest of the season, and their 13 points scored were the second fewest of the whole campaign. With three giveaways and a 1-in-5 fourth-down conversion rate, Sunday’s performance was quite dismal all around.
On the other hand, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, in the opinion of Lions coach Dan Campbell, entered the contest with the ideal strategy.
“I felt Ben called a fantastic game.” I cherished his call, Campbell remarked. “I wanted him to call me just that. What a terrible job it was.
Naturally, if Campbell is explicitly questioned about his offensive coordinator, he won’t blame him. Campbell gave Johnson a lot of credit, even though the game didn’t go as planned.
To his credit, during the second quarter, the game plan appeared to be effective. Detroit completed the half with an outstanding 11-play drive that put the Lions ahead 13–10 heading into the third quarter. Detroit scored touchdowns on each of their possessions that quarter.
Campbell remarked, “We played that first half perfectly.” “We were aware of the type of game that would be played in those settings. We simply didn’t play well enough in the second half.
That’s an understatement. Coming out of the half, the Lions’ next five offensive possessions were:
- Three-and-out, punt
- Three-and-out, punt
- Three-and-out, punt
- 2 plays, fumble
- Four-and-out (turnover on downs)
That’s a total of 15 plays for 26 yards and a fumble.
By the time they had their next opportunity in the second half, their lead of 13–10 had grown to 28–13.
The major offensive drought was mostly caused by botched blocks, missed passes, and pre-snap penalties, but it’s also important to consider whether the play-calling contributed to the issue.
More often than any other team, Detroit is still running the ball on early downs, and this caused them problems three times in the second half. On the first drive of the third quarter, a second-and-10 run gained only 4 yards, leaving Detroit with a third-and-6 that they were unable to convert. After one offensive play, the Lions lost a yard on a second-and-10, which set up Detroit for an unsuccessful third-and-11. The Lions lost two yards on a second-and-eight play following the fumble drive. The next two plays saw them manage just 5 yards, which resulted in a crucial downs turnover.
The worst of all happened early in the fourth quarter on Detroit’s fourth-and-1 effort. At that point, the game was still just twelve points, and another comeback might be possible if Detroit’s attack could find some energy. Rather, the Bears stopped Gibbs for a 4-yard loss, as if they knew the play was about to happen.
The Sandman with the 4th down STOP 😤
📺: #DETvsCHI on FOX pic.twitter.com/ElvyQGmUE3
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 10, 2023
“That looked like it wasn’t scouted,” Campbell remarked following the match. They threw a curveball at us. It wasn’t handled well by us. They succeeded in capturing us.
Jameson Williams, a 2022 first-round pick, has been underutilized, and Campbell and Johnson have also drawn criticism for this. The young wide receiver is finally getting a lot of playing time, but throughout his whole Lions career, he has never had more than two touches in a contest or more than three targets in a game. He was only targeted once and had a carry go for four yards against the Bears.
Yes, let’s continue collaborating with him. He’s getting better, Campbell added. “Since he is involved, we’ll keep trying to figure out how to include him more. He is working hard and he is improving.
Maybe we should give Johnson the benefit of the doubt. The Lions are still ninth in points scored, seventh in offensive DVOA, and tenth in projected points added per play despite their recent troubles. Even so, as the Lions get ready for their first postseason trip in six years, there’s no denying that their overall performance needs to improve in the final stretch.
