Lions destroy Bears in Johnson's return to Motor City

Lon Horwedel - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 3 hours ago

DETROIT - In what was expected to be a fun, yet emotional day for the Chicago Bears (0-2), Ben Johnson returned to Detroit for the first time since taking over as Chicago's new Head Coach. Not sure on the type of ovation he would get, it was evident that the Lions weren't happy with his choice, as they greeted him with tons of boos as the Bears took the field.

Johnson was expecting that in some regard, but once it happened, the best way to take care of those boos would be to go out and handle business. Not only did the Bears fail to handle business, but the Detroit Lions (1-1) made Chicago look silly, running all over the Bears' defense from start to finish, and posting a 52-21 victory.

Unlike on Monday, when the Bears' defense set the tone early in the game, the Lions got the ball first and drove right down the field, as a 34-yard hookup to Amon-Ra St. Brown started the drive and was only the beginning of what was to come. The Bears' defense did a great job tightening up later in the drive, but it was Jahmyr Gibbs racing in from six yards out to put Detroit on top 7-0.

Big plays were the theme early in the game as the Chicago Bears offense once again came ready to play and answered the Lions' touchdown with an incredible opening drive of their own. Having DJ Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus come away with first-down receptions certainly helped, but it was the big D'Andre Swift first-down run that moved the ball into Lions territory before Williams found Rome Odunze for his second touchdown in as many games to make this a 7-7.

Judging by what was to come next, Ben Johnson should script the entire game plan, as the Bears look like a well-oiled machine with their scripted plays, only to look lackluster at best after that. After both offenses went three-and-out on their next possessions, it was the Lions' offense getting back to work as another massive 32-yard reception from St. Brown moved the ball inside the five. David Montgomery took care of the rest from there as he plowed in from one yard out to put the Lions back on top 14-7.

With the Bears needing to come away with points on their next possession, things were looking good as a pair of first downs from Swift and Odunze had the ball moving, only to have Swift put it on the turf a few plays later, resulting in a costly turnover. The Bears did a phenomenal job of holding the Lions to zero points as they continued to do their part on the field, hoping the offense would return the favor.

Anytime you enter the game as an underdog, you can't afford to make mistakes, and with a costly turnover on downs to go with that fumble, the Bears were once again inflicting themselves with irreparable wounds. Chicago dodged a bullet with Jake Bates missing a field goal, but with Caleb Williams getting picked off by Kirby Joseph on the next possession, Chicago had three turnovers on three straight possessions.

Unlike the previous two turnovers, where Chicago escaped without allowing a point, it was the Lions who did what they needed to do as they began to open up the playbook, resulting in four consecutive first-down carries on the ground. Eventually, you had to think the Bears would start to wear down, and after Brock Wright hauled in a six-yard TD reception, it was the Lions in front 21-7.

As bad as things were throughout the first half, Chicago continued to keep things close as the Williams-Odunze hookup was alive and well, and another massive 21-yard gain was followed by a second first down as the Bears were inching into Lions territory. Chicago would get the ball inside the 10 later in the possession, where Odunze finished things off for his second touchdown of the half to close the gap to 21-14.

To get a sense of how worn down the Bears' defense was getting, look no further than the Lions' final possession of the first half, as a mix of quick plays and efficient time management led to several first downs as the Bears were reeling. St. Brown capped off the possession with a huge touchdown with two seconds to go as the Lions took a 28-14 lead into the half.

The second half started just as poorly as the first half had, with the Bears' offense going three and out to begin the half, putting the ball back in the hands of the Lions' offense. One play later, and the Lions were threatening again as Goff hooked up with Jameson Williams for a massive 65-yard catch and run. Chicago managed to limit the Lions to a 34-yard field goal from Bates, but the lead now grew to 31-14.

At some point, you can look back at this game and realize it just wasn't your day, and despite Williams' best effort to move the chains with his legs, the Bears once again faced a fourth-down play, only to turn the ball over on downs for the second time. The result was another long touchdown by the Lions as Goff hooked up with Williams for the 44-yard score and extended the lead to 38-14.

Williams broke out in a big way during the third quarter, as he had more than 100 yards on two catches after being shut out in the first half. The further the Bears fell behind, the more mistakes they made, as a nice first down reception by Moore was wiped out by a costly penalty and a sack, as the Bears were forced to punt the ball back to the Lions.

With Wright and Montgomery moving the chains for back-to-back first downs, it was the big play from Gibbs that set the Lions up, as his 41-yard scamper moved the ball inside the 10, as St. Brown finished off the drive with an eight-yard score. Trailing by five scores in the fourth, Williams went back to his favorite target in Odunze as the two hooked up for a massive 37-yard first down.

Detroit would come away with an interception later on the drive that was nullified due to roughing the passer, and the Bears capitalized on the second opportunity with Swift powering home from three yards out to put an end to the Bears' 24-unanswered points streak. Even with the second-half touchdown to get back on the board, the Lions refused to let off the gas as another big run from Gibbs set up St. Brown for another touchdown (third of the game) to open up a 52-21 lead as Goff completed 17 straight passes up to this point.

Given the way the game was unfolding, it was the perfect time to sit Williams as Tyson Bagent took over to finish the game. Williams was far from perfect, completing 19 of 30 passes for 207 yards, but with two touchdowns and one interception, you can still see the potential, even if there is plenty of room to grow. A more encouraging sign was watching Odunze continue to build chemistry with Williams, as he hauled in seven passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

Chicago did manage to put a late drive together with Bagent, resulting in several nice runs from Kyle Monangai, but nothing came of it as the Lions made quick work of the Bears 52-21. As painful a loss as this was for the Bears, it's all part of the process, as the team has a lot of work to do.