The best cure for a beatdown is to deliver one yourself.
The Detroit Lions took out their bottled Week 1 frustrations against the Chicago Bears in a Week 2 tilt that spiraled into a blowout for the home team. Detroit dropped a staggering 52 points on the hapless Bears in a game highlighted by the awoken Lions offense. After tallying just 13 points against the Green Bay Packers last week, Detroit topped that total in the first quarter alone. The Lions never let off the gas in this outing, making things appear personal against former offensive coordinator and current Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
The contrast between the Week 1 loss and Week 2 trounce is enough to give you whiplash. The offense went from asleep at the switch to unstoppable. The defense went from getting bullied to creating critical plays at critical times. The Lions faced some steep criticism after their opening loss, but a blowout like this should change that tune.
Out of every Lion, which player had the biggest bounce-back against Chicago?
Today’s Question of the Day is:
Which Lions player had the biggest turnaround against the Bears?
My answer: Jared Goff.
Goff did not need the approval or disapproval of the national media, but a performance like this one did plenty to silence any criticism that was levied his way after a disappointing loss to the Packers. Throughout his career, Goff has faced a harsh narrative: his success has been buoyed by the offensive minds around him. In Los Angeles, it was Sean McVay elevating the team—evident by a Super Bowl loss in which Goff struggled, no? In Detroit, it was Ben Johnson elevating the team—evident by Goff’s 2021 and 2025 Week 1 struggles without Johnson, no?
That notion should be firmly put to bed with Sunday’s victory over the Bears. Will Goff have a bad game over the course of the season? Almost certainly. Yet regardless of when that happens or how that happens, we can acknowledge that his successes and failures are not tied to Ben Johnson at offensive coordinator. I have firm confidence to say that Goff is a quarterback of his own making, not a byproduct of the offense he is in.
If anything, the offense is truly his. Offensive coordinator John Morton deserves a heap of praise for the win, but planning only goes so far. At the end of the day, execution is what wins or loses football games, and Goff was near perfect on Sunday. He completed 23-of-28 passes for 334 yards and a whopping five touchdowns, a staggering reversal from last week’s outing. Against the Packers, they could muster very little downfield—their longest pass through the air was a mere 20 yards. Safe to say, the Goff was able to air it out against Chicago:
When Goff is locked in, the offense hums like no other in the league. The downfield passing attack opens up, facilitating the speed of Jameson Williams. The threat of Williams opens up rushing lanes for Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. When teams have to respect the run game, targets like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta can thrive. There is a careful balance to maintain such an offense, but it illustrates why Goff is the man for the job.
In sharp contrast is the Bears’ Caleb Williams. Williams is undoubtedly more athletic than Goff, yet his heroic play style bit him hard against the Lions. He threw an interception on a pass that should have been a dozen rows into the stands. Despite his 63-percent completion percentage, I would argue that he was mostly inaccurate on the day. He did not hit receivers in stride. He overthrew a few makeable balls. He made some misreads that resulted in negative plays and yards left on the field. Williams has the tools to be an elite quarterback, but processing and decision making is paramount to successful quarterbacking in the NFL. Williams does not have that yet, but Goff does.
I still have full faith that 2025 Goff is the same as 2024 Goff despite the change in play caller. The Lions had an early speedbump, but the panic was greatly overblown. I firmly believe that the Lions are closer to their Week 2 selves than Week 1. That is a lofty bar to set, but we have seen how good the offense can be at their peak.
