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Lions pour it on Ben Johnson's Bears 52-21; Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown unstoppable
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- Lions pour it on Ben Johnson's Bears 52-21; Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown unstoppable
The high-scoring Detroit Lions are back, and they found their groove at their old play-caller's expense.
The Lions beat the Chicago Bears in their home opener Sunday, 52-21 , matching their highest-scoring output from last season when Bears coach Ben Johnson was their offensive coordinator and they led the league in points.
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Amon-Ra St. Brown had nine catches for 115 yards and three touchdowns, Jared Goff nearly posted a perfect passer rating of 156.0 and the Lions' offensive line played significantly better than it did a week ago in a season-opening loss to the Green Bay Packers .
Here are three thoughts from the Lions' win:
Bombs away
I don't know if everything that ailed the Lions against the Packers was fixed in one week. The offense was a lot of St. Brown and a little of everything else early, but new offensive coordinator John Morton said he wasn't panicking about his team's slow start. The passing game looked a whole lot more explosive against an undermanned Bears secondary.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) and running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) celebrate a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, September 14, 2025.
St. Brown caught a 34-yard pass on the Lions' first play from scrimmage, when the Bears appeared to blow a coverage, and the Lions had five pass plays of 29 or more yards and could have had a couple more.
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St. Brown also caught a 32-yard pass, Isaac TeSlaa made a 29-yard one-handed grab to set up a St. Brown touchdown just before halftime and Jameson Williams had catches of 64 and 44 yards in the second half.
Goff had Williams open twice more on shots downfield, but couldn't connect with the speedy receiver. And Jahmyr Gibbs added two runs of 26 or more yards for good measure.
The Lions struggled with communication breakdowns against the Packers, something that was never going to be an issue in the friendly confines of Ford Field. We'll get a better sense in Week 3, when the Lions go on the road for a Monday night game against the Baltimore Ravens , if the line has sorted through those issues.
But Sunday's game was a reminder the Lions have some of the best, most dangerous skill talent in the NFL and a quarterback that can get them the ball when things are right.
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Aidan Hutchinson delivers
Aidan Hutchinson had his first sack since he broke his leg last October early in the fourth quarter Sunday. Hutchinson beat Braxton Jones with an outside move and was serenaded with cheers from Lions fans.
Hutchinson didn't record a tackle in Week 1 and he didn't do much else that appeared on the stat sheet Sunday, but I thought he rushed well throughout the game. Lions defensive ends Marcus Davenport and Al-Quadin Muhammad took advantage of one-on-ones they had courtesy of Hutchinson to record sacks, and Hutchinson nearly got to Bears quarterback Caleb Williams two or three other times.
Beyond getting significantly more pressure on Williams then they did Packers quarterback Jordan Love , the Lions forced their first two takeaways of the season and kept the Bears in long down and distance situations much of the day.
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Brian Branch forced a fumble with a big hit on D'Andre Swift that Jack Campbell recovered, and had two more hits (on the same play) on Rome Odunze that the Bears recovered. Branch also had a sack in the second half before limping off the field with an injury . Kerby Joseph made a diving interception on a terrible overthrow by Williams, when he was forced out of the pocket by Hutchinson.
Williams is a bottom-third-of-the-NFL quarterback right now, but the Lions will be tough to beat when they get performances like this from their defense.
Hate dies hard
Johnson was booed when he took the field for the first time Sunday and peppered with chants of "(Bleep) Ben Johnson" in the second half as the game spiraled out of control.
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I get it was hard to see Johnson go to a division rival, and maybe some hold last year's playoff loss against him and his play-calling, but that level of vitriol seems silly.
Johnson was widely regarded as one of the best coordinators in the NFL in his three years calling plays in Detroit, was named 2024 NFL assistant of the year and took the job most considered the best available after the season because of Williams' presence at quarterback.
Williams may not be what pundits predicted when he was the No. 1 overall pick out of USC in 2024, and if he doesn't fix his accuracy issues soon it will be tough for Johnson to win in Chicago — this year or in the near future.
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Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky , X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions game: Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown unstoppable vs Bears
