Bears coach Ben Johnson channels humliating Week 2 loss into Lions rematch Sunday

Bears coach Ben Johnson went back to Detroit in Week 2 and left with his team humiliated.

In the span of 60 minutes that Johnson would later describe as a “kick in the teeth,” the Lions averaged almost 12 yards per play before mercifully removing their starters. Halfway through the fourth quarter, Johnson’s mentor Dan Campbell went for it on fourth-and-goal at the 4 and threw a touchdown to go ahead by the eventual final score of 52-21. The Ford Field faithful mocked their former offensive coordinator after the last touchdown, chanting “[Bleep] Ben Johnson!”

That butt-kicking still lingers, 16 weeks later. In between Lions video cutups streamed throughout Halas Hall this week are graphics showing the final score.

“It’s fresh,” receivers coach Antwaan Randle-El said of the loss. “Because you gotta watch it.”

That 31-point deficit was three more than the Bears’ other four losses combined.

“You always remember how you felt in those moments,” Johnson said this week. “And so, I know our players do, too.”

Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field, the Bears have a chance to prove to the Lions — and to themselves — just how different they are now.

If they can, they’ll position themselves as the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs, guaranteeing them home games in at least the first postseason two rounds — and a date with the Packers at Soldier Field next weekend.

Falling to the third seed would keep the Bears at home for the first round — but not necessarily the second. While they still can get to No. 2 if they lose and the Commanders upset the Eagles, the Bears want to enter the playoffs riding the momentum of a Week 18 win.

When Johnson gathered his players in the Ford Field locker room after the September game, he told them he believed in them. At the time, belief was all he had to go on.

“It’s one thing to say that, particularly after a game like that, where you feel a little bit of despair,” Johnson said. “And yet I think the coaching staff, we felt that way ... We felt strongly about those guys. We had seen them go to work through the springtime and all of camp. We knew it was a talented bunch and it doesn’t take a whole lot to get things corrected and turn this ship the other way. And that’s what they did.”

The Bears won nine out of their next 10 games.

“I think it’s a great lesson to be learned — that you don’t jump to conclusions too early,” Johnson said. “You just keep putting your head down and get back to work and keep chopping away and hopefully the results come.”

In the moment, Johnson told his players not to panic. In 2022, he was part of a Lions team that started 1-6 before winning eight of their last 10 games. Randle-El and Bears quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett were on that staff, too, and relayed the same message in their position rooms.

Even though the Bears have rallied ever since, the former Detroit coaches still feel the sting of the loss.

“It bothered us to no end,” Randle-El said. “Yes, it bothered [Johnson]. It’s one thing when you lose. But to lose in the way we did …

“But again, we’re a totally different team.”

On defense, it would hard to be worse. The Bears gave up 8.8 yards per play in Week 2, the most in their history. As dominant as the 49ers were in beating the Bears Sunday night, they averaged 7.3.

“I think at this point we kind of know what the identity is,” linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said. “We kinda have been through some moments, some adversity moments. It’s more so just believing in one another and going out there to win.”

Johnson didn’t know what to expect from his team in their first road game of the season. Now, he said, the Bears have cleaned up the pre-snap penalties that dogged them in September. They’ve mastered motions and shifts before the snap, too, which has helped the run game become one of the league’s best.

“I think our quarterback has a lot to do with that,” Johnson said. “He has grown immensely in terms of what he can handle. And I think the rest of those guys are a lot more comfortable with some of that as well. So, longer play calls, using more cadences now, and I think it has helped our offense.”

Quarterback Caleb Williams is expecting the Lions’ best shot, even though they have nothing to play for. That’s what happened at the end of the 2022 season, when the Lions, with no stakes of their own, beat the Packers in the season finale to keep Green Bay out of the playoffs.

The Bears are in the playoffs — no one can take that away from them. The Lions can make the path a lot tougher, though.

“They’re going to come out and fight,” Williams said. “And we’ve got to hold our own and come out and fight and match that energy. Or more.”