LANDOVER, Md. — All it took for the Detroit Lions to see their offensive problems clearly was head coach Dan Campbell putting on a pair of glasses.

With Campbell and not offensive coordinator John Morton calling the plays at Northwest Stadium on Sunday, the Lions’ offense returned to its potent self, exploding for a 44-22 win over the Washington Commanders.

Detroit totaled a season-high 546 yards of offense (8.0 per play) and scored on all eight of its drives, except the final one running out the clock. Quarterback Jared Goff went 25-for-33 passing for 320 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

About calling the plays Sunday, Campbell said, “It was just, let’s try something a little different. I know what I want to do, I know how I want to do it. That being said, this is a collaborative effort. I was taking input from John Morton that whole time, and the other coaches.”

Campbell added: “The coaches work together, but I just wanted to change it up a little bit. Maybe a different play-caller can get us a little rhythm, that’s all.”

Nobody benefitted more than wide receiver Jameson Williams and running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

Williams had a game-high 119 receiving yards on six catches with one receiving touchdown, while Gibbs totaled 172 yards from scrimmage (including 142 rushing) for three total touchdowns. Amon-Ra St. Brown, who had 58 receiving yards, added a 9-yard receiving touchdown that put the Lions up 14-3 with 1:54 to go in the first quarter.

Williams made a critical third-down catch to keep the Lions’ opening drive alive, paving the way for Gibbs to give Detroit a 7-0 lead when he broke free on a Texas route to reach the end zone on a 14-yard receiving touchdown.

Gibbs reached the end zone again with 9:41 left in the first half. He found the edge on an outside run before getting dragged into the end zone by teammates St. Brown and Sam LaPorta.

After the play, St. Brown was cold-cocked in the face by Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne, prompting Payne’s ejection from the game. The Lions used the penalty yardage to their advantage by attempting a successful 2-point conversion to go up 22-3 behind a 1-yard run from David Montgomery.

Commanders defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw was assessed a 15-yard personal foul for making contact with an official as players from both teams gathered in a heated exchange after the 2-point attempt.

Williams was activated again as the Lions took over to begin the third quarter, catching three passes for 47 yards on the drive, including a 14-yard receiving touchdown that gave the Lions a 32-10 lead.

Gibbs completed the hat trick early in the fourth quarter. He ran behind right tackle Penei Sewell before accelerating in the open field for a 44-yard rushing touchdown that sent Commanders fans heading for the exits as the scoreboard read 41-16.

It wasn’t a perfect game for Detroit, especially on special teams. The Lions gave up another big kickoff return as Noah Igbinoghene ripped off 46 yards to kickstart the Commanders’ first scoring drive. Kicker Matt Gay cut the Lions’ lead to 7-3 with a 44-yard field goal at 5:43 in the first quarter. After Gibbs’ third touchdown, the Commanders blocked an extra-point try off the toe of Jake Bates.

Detroit was also troubled by an offense led by backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, who finished 16-for-22 and threw for 213 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions with a passer rating of 133.3. The Lions were without starting safety Kerby Joseph and lost starting cornerback Terrion Arnold to a concussion in the second quarter.

After the Lions took a 22-3 lead, Washington got off the mat with a 75-yard touchdown drive, which was sprung by an early 44-yard completion to Jaylin Lane. The Commanders cut their deficit to 22-10 with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Chris Rodriguez with 3:39 left in the second quarter.

Detroit Lions offense is commanding in 44-22 road win at Washington

Washington’s offense kept fighting after Williams’ second-half touchdown and reached the end zone for the second time with 7:05 to go in the third quarter. Facing fourth-and-3 from Detroit’s 4-yard line, the Commanders called a perfect play to get wide receiver Deebo Samuel open for a 4-yard touchdown catch. Detroit led 32-16 after the Commanders missed a 2-point attempt.

Ultimately, the Lions’ offense had enough gas in the tank to outpace anybody.

Photo gallery from Detroit Lions’ road win over Washington Commanders

The Commanders added another touchdown with 6:57 left in the game, but again failed on the 2-point attempt, helping maintain the Lions’ sizable lead. The Lions’ offensive starters were pulled after the drive.

Bates had three field goals, including a long of 48.

ALLEN PARK — Amid a host of other self-scouting initiatives that were undertaken during the bye week, the Detroit Lions want wide receiver Jameson Williams to get the ball on a more consistent basis.

It was fairly reasonable to expect that Williams would see a jump in production after he surpassed 1,000 yards last season, but the numbers have significantly regressed after he signed a three-year, $83 million contract extension on the eve of this year’s opener. Through seven games, Williams has just 17 catches for 289 yards and two touchdowns.

Still, coaches are hesitant to blame Williams for the situation. Lions offensive coordinator John Morton pointed the finger at himself, saying he needs to do a better job of getting Williams open.

“There (have) been opportunities where it just didn’t happen. It’s not like we aren’t going to try to target him,” Morton said Thursday. “So, that was the biggest thing. I looked at everything, and I failed him. That’s what I told him. I have to do a better job with that.”

As many coaches have noted during the drought, Williams holds value outside of being a pass catcher. His speed puts fear into the hearts of opposing defenses, forcing them to play with two high safeties and opening up the receivers underneath. Williams is also a terrific and willing run blocker, so it’s not like the lack of production is causing him to slack in other areas.

Williams has been a good sport about it in his weekly media sessions as well.

“I ain’t frustrated at all, bro. How could I be frustrated? I’m me,” Williams said. “It’s a part of the game, but I got catches. I would like more, but I’m never frustrated.”

Asked what he’s seeing from defenses, Williams said: “They try to take … my ability to go over the top out of the game. That’s the main thing that I’ve been seeing in the first half (of the season). We’ve got plans to attack it, and we’ve got a lot of players, so we’re never really worried about one person getting (taken) out of the game, because we got other players who go make explosives and touchdowns and plays for us.”

Morton is thrilled with how Williams has responded to the lack of opportunities.

“He was great. He doesn’t sweat it. I’m like, ‘Listen, man, I’m going to do a better job.’ That’s my job during the bye week, because I stayed here. And that was my job — and third down — to really study that,” Morton said.

“Because there’s a lot of — especially on third down — they’re doubling (Amon-Ra St. Brown), they’re doubling him, there’s a lot of stuff that’s going on. So, I have to be creative. I have to go in the archives to try to get these guys open better.”

No tricks, just treats

The Lions haven’t used one of their patented trick plays on special teams this season, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t called them.

“We always have something available, but it just hasn’t come up, whether it be the situation of the game, the look we wanted,” special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said.

During the early stages of Dan Campbell’s tenure in Detroit, the team gained a reputation for its propensity to gamble on fourth down by using trick plays out of punt formation. These days, the Lions still have the gambling reputation — but they typically run fourth-down plays using their offense instead.

Fipp said one of the reasons why opportunities have been so limited is that teams are always prepared to have to defend a fake punt. Which, in turn, does benefit their punt unit.

“It’s definitely gotten harder,” Fipp said. “You definitely see a lot more people around the box, and some guys playing with eyes inside, and just a lot of different things. But yeah, I would say it’s definitely gotten harder. But theoretically, it should help us punt the ball better, too.”

Hometown heroes

Among a host of standouts in the “Legion of Whom” — the nickname affectionately given to the Lions’ patchwork secondary, which dominated in the win over Tampa Bay — the story of cornerback Nick Whiteside shined through.

Whiteside grew up in Auburn Hills and attended Avondale High School, where Morton also attended. Morton’s brother, Tim, was the head basketball coach at Avondale for multiple seasons and coached Whiteside.

“I think it’s awesome to have somebody from my high school that can do that,” Morton said. “It’s kind of like my story a little bit. He’s had a lot of ups and downs and has fought his way. And listen, he had an opportunity, he did a good job. And hopefully that gives him confidence, and you never know what can happen. When you get confidence, guys change in different environments.”

After high school, Whiteside went on to play college football at Saginaw Valley State and was most recently in the United Football League before getting a chance to participate in Detroit’s training camp, where he made a positive impression. When health woes struck Detroit’s secondary, Whiteside got the call and lived up to the challenge. He had three pass breakups and two tackles against Tampa Bay.

“It’s nothing better to see than when I click on my Instagram and I see 100 articles talking about Nick Whiteside. That is unbelievable,” defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said. “A guy that was in the UFL, probably thought honestly, ‘Man, this is the end of the road for me. Oh, I get a practice squad spot.’

“And they’re grateful for those moments, but those guys never see themselves lining up mano a mano on (Buccaneers receiver Emeka) Egbuka. They never see themselves lining up mano a mano on (Buccaneers receiver) Mike Evans. That’s just real. And for him to not only get that opportunity but make the most of it — Erick Hallett, (cornerback) Art Maulet, (edge defender) Tyrus Wheat.

“I mean, the names go on and on of the guys that went out and not only just played, not only held the line, but they’ve put some pressure on some of our starters now.”

Return of the Mac

Defensive tackle Alim McNeill immediately made his presence felt in Detroit’s win over Tampa Bay.

He recorded five pressures and made one tackle, but his impact can better be measured by the production of Detroit’s edge rushers. Edge defenders Aidan Hutchinson (12 pressures), Al-Quadin Muhammad (nine), and Wheat (two) all set a season high in pressures, with Wheat adding 1 1/2 sacks.

“Mac is exceptional. I know Hutch is glad to have him back, but more importantly, I’m glad to have him back,” Sheppard said. “Because if you try to double, nudge Hutch and things like that, you’re leaving your guard one-on-one on one of, if not the best, three-(techniques) in the NFL.”

Fipp not worried about Bates

Kicker Jake Bates missed a 54-yard field goal in the Lions’ last game, bringing him to 2-for-5 on field goals of 50-plus yards this season. Bates, whose massive leg is a defining trait, also missed a 67-yard attempt against Baltimore in Week 3 and a 55-yarder against Chicago in Week 2.

But he’s a perfect 6 for 6 on all field goals under 50 yards and has made all 27 extra-point attempts, so Fipp isn’t sweating the misses. Still, it’s something they plan to work on throughout the season.

“Practice-wise, the numbers that I have, I mean, he’s been exceptional,” Fipp said. “So, I feel really good about what he’s doing, where he’s at. I have a lot of confidence in him. But yeah, he hasn’t made all of the long kicks that we would love for him to make. Can he hit that at a higher percentage? For sure. Will that be something to work on? Yeah, no doubt.”

Aidan Hutchinson, the homegrown heart and soul of the Detroit Lions’ defense, has agreed to a four-year contract extension with the team, his agent announced via social media Wednesday morning.

Financial terms have not been released.

Hutchinson, still just 25 years old, was the No. 2 pick out of Michigan in the 2022 NFL Draft and becomes the first member of general manager Brad Holmes’ second draft class to receive a significant contract extension.

Over his first two seasons, Hutchinson appeared in all 37 games (including playoffs) for Detroit and averaged 10½ sacks during the regular season, finishing as the runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022 and making his first Pro Bowl in 2023 after an 11.5-sack, 121-pressure campaign.

To begin the 2024 season, Hutchinson cemented himself as one of the NFL’s best pass rushers. At the time of his injury, which occurred after the Lions’ Week 5 bye, Hutchinson led the NFL in pressures (45) and sacks (7½). He remained the NFL’s pressure leader until Week 8, when his total was surpassed by Nick Bosa (San Francisco 49ers).

“Every time you watch him, he gets better and better and I was pretty blown away last night,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said after Hutchinson recorded a career-high 4.5 sacks in a Week 2 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.

“He’s a force. He’s a force. … He’s just relentless, he’s powerful, he’s explosive.”

Despite the severity of his injury, which required immediate surgery at a Dallas-area hospital, Hutchinson remained adamant he would be able to return for the Super Bowl, if the Lions had been able to make it that far. Campbell repeatedly warned against such optimism, but noted, “If anybody can come back from this, it would be Aidan.” The point ultimately became moot as the Lions fell to the Washington Commanders, 45-31, in the NFC’s divisional round.

Still, as highlighted by Campbell’s comments, Hutchinson’s dedicated work ethic is the shining example of what the Lions want their players to be.

Shortly before Detroit’s 2024 opener, former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said of Hutchinson, “Hutch has had a tremendous offseason. He had a tremendous training camp, and now he’s at the point that he needs to set his sights at being, if not the best player defensively in this league, to one of the best players — which he is, but now it’s time to look at himself as the best player.”

Since graduating from Dearborn Divine Child High School, Hutchinson has been at the forefront of reviving two local programs. In Hutchinson’s senior year at Michigan (2021), the Wolverines snapped an eight-game losing streak against rival Ohio State — a 42-27 victory at Michigan Stadium in which Hutchinson sacked Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud three times — and a 17-year drought as Big Ten champions, reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history.

With his multi-sack performance against Ohio State, Hutchinson set Michigan’s single-season sack record (14), a distinction previously owned by his father, Chris. He was named a unanimous All-American and finished as runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.

Two years later, Hutchinson helped propel Detroit to its first division title in 30 years as the Lions won two playoff games — doubling their total (one) from 1957-2022 — en route to an NFC Championship appearance, where the Lions came up short by way of a furious second-half comeback by the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.

Though Hutchinson didn’t necessarily grow up donning the Honolulu blue — “My dad’s from Texas, so he was never a big Lions fan,” he said last year — he acknowledged the surreal nature of the team’s turnaround ahead of the NFC title game.

“Growing up here, you grow up with a lot of the ‘Same Old Lions’ stuff, and a lot of the tragedy and whatever you want to call it,” Hutchinson said. “I see videos of little kids (excited about the Lions), and just like, seeing that generation growing up with this Lions team and the Lions teams to come, it’s just cool to have two different perspectives on it and to see kind of both sides of the coin.”

Entering the 2022 draft, Hutchinson was long believed to be the obvious No. 1 pick before Jacksonville ultimately chose to select Georgia pass rusher Travon Walker. Though Walker has steadily improved into a really good player, he has yet to exhibit the sky-high potential of Hutchinson. And he probably won’t be getting paid like him either.

ALLEN PARK — Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield are living the lives that are expected from former No. 1 picks: Both are playing for a contender and near the forefront of the MVP conversation.

But neither quarterback in Monday night’s game between the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers took an easy road to get here, even after they were the top picks in their respective drafts, Goff with the Los Angeles Rams in 2016 and Mayfield with the Cleveland Browns in 2018. Goff is on his second team while Mayfield is on his fourth.

Between the 53.3 yards that’ll separate the two sidelines on Monday night, you’ll find there’s a lot of mutual respect.

“He’s a good friend,” Goff said of Mayfield, who has the Buccaneers off to a 5-1 start despite several key injuries at the skill positions. “(I have) a ton of respect for him. I think we both kind of — I don’t want to speak for him but — (we) can recognize that there’s some dark days in that transition and coming out the other side of it for both of us.

“A lot of respect from my end for sure and I hope he’d say the same. … I’m a big fan of his and he’s done a great job.”

Goff began his resurgence a few seasons before Mayfield latched on with the Buccaneers, but their stories are similar. They’re both former top picks who were cast off by the teams that drafted them and had their reputations dragged through the mud on their way out of town.

It took Mayfield a few more stops — he spent seven games with the Carolina Panthers before taking over the Rams’ starting job down the stretch of the 2022 season — but they arrived at the same destination: with a team that wanted them.

In Mayfield’s first two seasons with the Buccaneers, the team won the NFC South both years and reached the playoffs. The Lions beat the Buccaneers in the 2023 NFC divisional round to advance to the NFC Championship. Goff has also led the Lions to consecutive division titles.

“I think they’re both tough,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “Like to me they’re both really tough, dependable, resilient guys. I think both of them have overcome a lot. I think when you watch those guys and just the nature of the way they play — like, our quarterback will sit in there, he’ll make throws (when) he’s getting crunched in the pocket and has to deliver the ball. He’s not afraid of that.”

Mayfield, who’s about to face the Lions for the fourth time since joining the Buccaneers in 2023, returned the admiration in his weekly press conference.

“I love Jared. Great guy. Like I’ve told you guys before, from somebody that can relate to needing a fresh start somewhere else, it’s good to see that story,” Mayfield said. “Everybody loves a good underdog story, whatever it is, go through adversity, come through on the other side stronger. That’s life, and that’s what football can teach you.”

Now, the two are set to duel it out in what’s sure to be one of the most riveting “Monday Night Football” games of the season.

Goff enters Monday Week 7 with the league lead in completion percentage (75.9%) and passing touchdowns (14) and second in passer rating (120.6). Mayfield, meanwhile is tied for fourth in passing touchdowns (12), fourth in passing yards (1,539), and sixth in passer rating (108.5), all while being without two of his top receivers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, for most of the season.

Mayfield is third in MVP odds (+325, BetMGM) and Goff is fourth (+1500), while both are under new offensive coordinators. For Mayfield, he’s with his third offensive coordinator (Josh Grizzard) in three seasons.

The Lions and Buccaneers have met three times since Mayfield arrived in Tampa. Over those three games, Mayfield is 57-for-97 passing (58.8%) for an average of 246.7 yards with four total touchdowns and four interceptions. He added 70 rushing yards in those three games.

Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said Mayfield is the type of player who’d fit well in Detroit.

“He’s everything that we’re about here,” Sheppard said. “He’s a tough guy to deal with because when it seems like there’s nothing there, he finds a way to pull his team through. So, he makes that thing go. The coordinators are smart because they don’t try to change much, they understand what works for him and they carried over.

“There’s some nuances that changed motion-wise, schematically, but for the most part it’s Baker’s show.”

Whatever happens Monday night, this could only be a preview for an even bigger matchup down the road. The Lions and Buccaneers have been two of the NFL’s strongest organizations over the last handful of years, and there’s plenty of reasons to believe that they’ll be at their best when January rolls around.

Chief among them, however, is the rock-solid quarterback play.

“They both deliver in critical moments,” Campbell said. “They don’t get frazzled.”

BALTIMORE — It took two weeks.

Two weeks.

After an offseason in which two of the best coordinators in football landed head-coaching jobs and took half the staff with them, after their All-Pro center retired and a stalwart right guard exited in free agency, and after they were annihilated by the Green Bay Packers in Week 1.

It took exactly two weeks for the Detroit Lions to become the best show on television once again.

Some could even argue it was true a week ago, when the Lions dismantled the Chicago Bears at home, but if you were holding out on buying all the way in because you questioned the strength of competition, well, sorry. You’ve got no choice but to believe now.

This game was complete and total confirmation that the Lions, as we knew them, are here to stay as long as Dan Campbell is the man in charge.

There are no remaining questions about the transition to coordinators John Morton and Kelvin Sheppard. Dead are the theories that it was actually Ben Johnson who was the mastermind of Detroit’s success. This team is every bit as much of a threat to win the Super Bowl as they were last season before the injury struggles set in.

“We have an identity, we have a culture, and nothing’s gonna change that,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said on Tuesday. “I thought Shep did a hell of a job in preparation and calling the game and the players, man, really responded. … John Morton, man. What a great job. And every week they’ve gotten better and better and better, and we’re all figuring each other out now in those roles.”

Detroit led the league in net yards (426) for the second week in a row and was also first in rush yards (224), touchdowns (five) and Expected Points Added per play (+0.31).

Defensively, they fed Lamar Jackson one of the most maddening days of his career, sacking the two-time MVP seven times. According to Jackson himself, there were no crazy tricks or schemes deployed by Sheppard, just a solid plan that was executed at the highest level — and one that is more sustainable than a wacky, new scheme with limited shelf life.

“They were just executing,” Jackson said. “That’s all it was.”

Let’s get the caveats out of the way: Yes, the Ravens were missing their two best pass rushers, which probably played a factor in the offensive line keeping Jared Goff clean for a second straight game. Yes, the Lions still gave up 30 points.

But the fact of the matter is that the Lions made plays at every critical juncture, just as they did all of last season, and looked pretty awesome doing it.

The Lions were three-for-three on fourth down, converting a goal-to-go situation with a tricky pitch play to Jahmyr Gibbs to go up 28-21 and drawing up a 20-yard completion to help ice the game on Detroit’s final drive. The Lions used aggression to seal the game on fourth-and-2 near midfield on a 20-yard completion to Amon-Ra St. Brown.

The offensive line rose from serviceable to elite once again. Offensive tackle Penei Sewell was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded offensive lineman (98.7) in the league in Week 3; guard Tate Ratledge was fourth (91.4) and tackle Taylor Decker was ninth (82.9).

The defense registered a combined 30 pressures, according to PFF, while getting off the field in three plays or less on three different series in the second half.

Both teams left a few big plays on the table, but every football game generally comes down to five or six plays, and it’s usually the better team on the winning side of them. The Lions were that team Monday night, and it’s reasonable to expect them to remain that team going forward.

• Lions cornerback D.J. Reed has so far proven himself worthy of the three-year, $48 million contract he earned in free agency. As Terrion Arnold has struggled to find his footing in Year 2, Reed has been extremely dependable, helping limit the damage as Detroit’s secondary continues to jell.

He’s shown rapid improvement each week — he admittedly wasn’t great in coverage against Green Bay — and put it all together in Sunday’s win, when he allowed just one catch on three targets for a total of seven yards with a pass breakup. Baltimore receiver Zay Flowers, Reed’s top assignment on Monday, had just two catches for 13 yards.

“I thought he did a heck of a job, man. He’s been great for us,” Campbell said. “He’s one of the most veteran guys we have with the exception of (cornerback) Amik (Robertson), who we got last year.”

Reed has also been one of the team’s best run defenders. He had another five tackles with a fumble recovery on Monday after making five tackles the week prior.

“He’s got skins on the wall, he’s a vet, he does it right, he’s a pro. He’s competitive, and I mean, he’s fit right in with us,” Campbell said. “He’s been great for all those guys in the room, great teammate. He’s all about ball.”

• Lions linebacker Jack Campbell has hit a new stride in 2025. He was a dominant force in every phase on Monday night, finishing with a team-high eight tackles with a strip-sack of Jackson on fourth-and-goal.

He played a massive role in helping limit the production of Baltimore running back Derrick Henry, who, outside of a 28-yard rushing touchdown in the opening quarter, had 11 carries for 22 yards.

“First of all, did anybody see Jack’s got a laceration on his mouth? So he’s trying to call plays and blood’s spitting out everywhere, so they were just eating it up,” Campbell said. “This guy, man. He’s a workaholic, and the knowledge for the game, the way he studies the game, he prepares for it, and he’s just playing at a really high level right now.

“We feel like he can do it all. That’s why he doesn’t come off the field. I mean, he can do everything for us.”

• Alright, now let’s quickly talk about some negatives. The Lions beat the Ravens in spite of a poor performance across the board on special teams. The Lions started two drives inside their own 5-yard line, which would ultimately become a point of pride, but was definitely not what you want to see in the moment.

Baltimore ran its third kickoff back to the Baltimore 49-yard line and might have gone the distance had kicker Jake Bates not made the play. The Ravens began a third-quarter drive at the 40 after a kickoff from Bates when out of bounds.

And then, the penalties. Detroit was flagged eight times for 68 yards compared to three penalties for 31 yards called on Baltimore. All of that combined is a tough recipe for winning on the road.

The Lions obviously made it work, but one has to imagine cleaning up those two areas will be a focal point of the week.

ALLEN PARK — A few short weeks ago, it was easy to believe that Ben Johnson’s return to Ford Field would be a high-intensity slugfest between teams looking to establish dominance as the division’s top dog.

Instead, both teams are simply hoping to avoid starting 0-2 on the season and in the NFC North. The Lions lost at Green Bay, 27-13, on Sunday, and the Bears blew a second-half lead to fall, 27-24, to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.

That certainly does not lessen the stakes in a matchup between the apprentice, Johnson, and his coaching master, Dan Campbell. If anything, it might amplify them.

“We’re going in, getting ready to play Chicago, we’re going to win this game, we have to,” Campbell said earlier this week. “We’ve got to find a way to clean things up and do what we’ve got to do and they’re going to try to do the same thing. It’s like every week.”

After three successful seasons guiding the Lions’ offense, Johnson took the next step in his career by becoming the coach of the Bears in January. From 2022-24, the Lions were first in points scored and net yards.

There doesn’t appear to be any bad blood about Johnson choosing to further his career in the same division as Detroit. But Lions general manager Brad Holmes did say on an episode of the Green Light Podcast that he wondered, “Why Chicago?” when Johnson initially departed.

Earlier this week, Campbell called Johnson “my friend” and said, “Nothing about that’s going to change.” The two go back even further than their time spent in Detroit (2021-24). Campbell and Johnson overlapped for four seasons (2012-15) in Miami, where Campbell was primarily the tight ends coach and Johnson was an assistant quarterbacks coach. When Campbell became Miami’s interim head coach in 2015, Johnson assumed his duties as the tight end coach.

“We texted back and forth a few weeks ago. We have been in touch. That friendship is always going to be there. I view him like family, and I think he would tell you the same thing. That’ll never change,” Johnson said this week. “We have fond memories of back when I was just a young snot-nosed computer punk, as he likes to call it, in Miami. I feel like we have both grown up in this profession of coaching.”

But while there might not be any bad blood between the two staffs, Johnson’s decision to continue his career in a place where he’d play the Lions twice a year — and stand directly in the way of the Lions achieving their goals — has left a bad taste in the mouth of some fans.

Johnson classified his choice to go to Chicago as “a tough decision.”

“Everything, last year, ran through my head. That was one of the unfortunate parts of making that decision, you were saying goodbye to a lot of friends and a great place. My family, myself, we have a lot of strong relationships there in that community,” Johnson said this week.

“Hopefully, that continues to stay that way, as well. But, we felt like this was the best opportunity for myself and my family, and we were really excited about coming to Chicago. At times, you have to make tough decisions, and that’s really how that one went down.”

From an on-the-field standpoint, Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said it’ll be just like training camp. Sheppard was the team’s linebackers coach when Johnson was engaging in those intense, daily battles against former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, but he knows Johnson well all the same.

Asked what Johnson’s strengths are, Sheppard said, “Everything. Next question.”

“Listen, we all understand and respect Ben Johnson as a person, more importantly, but also as a play caller,” Sheppard said. “It’s why he got afforded the opportunity he’s in and we all understand this.”

Johnson was (and still is) a highly calculated man who pay the utmost attention to the details. Lions linebacker Jack Campbell provided proof of this.

He told reporters on Friday that he’d been asking guys on the offensive side of the ball about Johnson’s offense and what some potential points of emphasis would be.

Asked to elaborate, Campbell said, “I don’t know. I know Ben’s gonna read this, or some Chicago Bears person is gonna read this,” before moving on to the next question.

On the offensive side of the ball, several players spoke about what Johnson did for their careers.

“I love Ben. I’ll never really have anything bad to say about him because of what he did for me as a player, what he did for this team,” receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said. “I remember, when I first got here as a rookie, he was a tight ends coach. They promoted him, to I think pass game coordinator, my rookie year.

“I feel like ever since he stepped in that role, I got more catches, more opportunities. He believed in me. He trusted me. And just seeing the work ethic that he had, I respect him as a coach, as a man. I love Ben, but there’s two games out of the year where I want him to fail.”

Lions receiver Jameson Williams, who was with Johnson for the first three years of his career, called Johnson “a great guy.”

“He taught me a lot, how to approach the game, how to learn the game, we talked a lot. I talked to him a couple times this offseason, just checking up on my little guy over there, (Bears rookie receiver) Luther Burden III, my little brother. They got (former Lions receiver Maurice Alexander) over there, so I was just calling him and I end up talking to Ben somehow,” Williams said, laughing.

“But I appreciate everything he’s done for me. He’s helped me a lot.”

Ultimately, an intimate knowledge of each other’s tendencies is not likely to enhance either side’s chances of winning the game, Dan Campbell said. He’s not getting caught up in worrying about Johnson’s trick plays, or what he might do to throw the Lions off their game. Both coaches reiterated in some form, “This game is about us.”

“I think we’re on equal playing ground really. I think it’s the same thing. He knows what we’re about, we know what he’s about and because of that you’re going to play that game a little bit,” Campbell said. “But the game doesn’t matter if you don’t master the basics inside the game, and so that’s what we have to get back to.”

That might be true, but the familiarity will certainly make the contest a lot more enjoyable to watch.

ALLEN PARK — Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard admitted he was “pissed” after his defense gave up 27 points in Sunday’s opener against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

But like a lot of the chatter coming out of the team facility this week, Sheppard emphasized he’s not as discouraged after having some time to digest the performance. According to Sheppard, the metrics out of Sunday’s game were encouraging — even if the Lions‘ offense couldn’t match them, resulting in a 27-13 loss to begin the season.

Sheppard acknowledged some necessary areas of improvement while making the case his defense truly did buckle down in the second half of Sunday’s game.

“Coming off the field, you guys know, ultra-competitive nature of the game. My temperament and things, I was pissed,” Sheppard said. “And I’m ready to scowl at everybody, but then you sit back and look at it and after the second time and after the third time, you go, ‘There’s a lot of good football on this tape.’”

He started with the passing defense, which allowed 188 yards and two touchdowns from Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who went 16-for-22 through the air for a passer rating of 128.6. Love was efficient and hit on big plays when the Lions’ defense presented him with opportunities to do so. Sheppard said he’s more than happy to give up just 188 yards of passing, which tied for 18th among all quarterbacks in Week 1.

Sheppard was upset by the two-play drive that gave Green Bay a 17-3 lead in the second quarter. Cornerback Terrion Arnold was the closest defender on both a 48-yard completion to Romeo Doubs and a 17-yard touchdown pass to Michigan State product Jayden Reed. Outside of that, he was satisfied by the passing defense — but it’s worth noting Green Bay threw the ball just six times in the second half.

“We went into the game saying, ‘You’ve got to make these guys beat us,’ Sheppard said. “You cannot give them things because that’s when they thrive. You have to make them beat us, and we did not do that on back-to-back plays. Inexcusable, and that’s been addressed.”

Asked about the team’s lack of consistent pass rush, Sheppard said the team wasn’t given many opportunities to get home, and also praised its ability to keep Love in the pocket.

It’s the second part that’s worth paying attention to: The Lions seemingly put more effort into containing Love as a rusher than disrupting his flow in the passing game. On second-and-9 in the red zone on the Packers’ opening drive, Aidan Hutchinson got the one-on-one he wanted after Roy Lopez stunted to eat a double team, only for Hutchinson to hover at the line of scrimmage like a point guard defending the perimeter as Love threw an incompletion to Doubs.

“Go back with your stopwatch and turn on the pass plays, they weren’t going to allow it. But more importantly I thought — I want to give credit to our guys of not letting this guy out of the pocket. That’s things that we’ve struggled with in years past,” Sheppard said. “Jordan Love has burned us in years past with his legs. He had one run, I think, for four yards. So, I want to look at the positives in that.

“Yeah, we could’ve done things and things like that, but we had a specific gameplan and for the most part, the guys went out and executed the gameplan.”

Ultimately, Sheppard expects the pass rush to be better this weekend, especially from Hutchinson — but it’s worth noting the Lions’ opponent at quarterback, Caleb Williams, has a similar tendency to escape from the pocket and extend plays with his legs.

“When you’re the elite of the elite, people are going to plan for you and that’s why he’s the caliber player that he is. We will counter that and Hutch will counter that. He’s an ultra-aware player, he knows how to manipulate things and move himself around,” Sheppard said.

“We’re working off a one-game sample size, people.”

And, in fairness, the run defense was excellent — no caveats needed. The Lions gave up 78 yards on 25 carries, an average of 3.1 per carry.

“We should’ve been at 2.2 (per carry),” Sheppard said. “Why do I say that? Because one of those was a 15-yard explosive run that should’ve never happened. That’s been addressed as well.”