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Quarterback Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions.
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff took up for his former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson after lighting up Johnson’s defense to the tune of 52 points on Sunday, September 14.
Goff was practically perfect in a blowout victory of the Chicago Bears at Ford Field, completing 23-of-28 passes for 344 yards and five touchdowns.
He spoke with reporters following the 31-point win, who asked the Lions QB for his reaction to an expletive-based chant that Detroit fans shouted at Johnson, Chicago’s new head coach, near the end of the game.
“#Lions QB Jared Goff on the ‘F*** Ben Johnson chants: ‘I didn’t like that. He did a lot for us. I don’t know if he deserved that,” Goff said.
Ben Johnson Turned Around Lions Offense, Jared Goff’s Career Over 3 Years as Offensive Coordinator
GettyHead coach Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears.
Johnson served as Goff’s offensive coordinator for the past three seasons before accepting the position of head coach in Chicago in January 2025.
The Lions were 3-13-1 the year prior to Johnson’s elevation to the OC job. The team finished the next season 9-8, downing the Green Bay Packers in Week 18, keeping them out of the playoffs and handing Aaron Rodgers a loss in his final game at Lambeau Field.
While Detroit failed to make the playoffs in 2022 as well, the team went on to a 12-5 mark in 2023, an NFC North Division title and an appearance in the NFC Championship Game. In 2024, the Lions won 15 games and lost just two, earning the No. 1 seed in the conference and a bye week to the Divisional Round, where they lost in surprising fashion to the Washington Commanders.
The Lions were the 22nd-rated offense in the league the year prior to Johnson’s move to OC. Detroit finished fourth, third and second in overall offense in the next three seasons, respectively, with Johnson running the show, per ESPN statistics.
Goff went from 3,245 yards, 19 TDs and eight INTs in 2021 — his first year with the Lions — to averages of 4,547 yards, 32 TDs and 10 INTs over the next three seasons. Goff was a Pro Bowler in 2022 and 2024 and finished fifth in MVP voting at the end of last year.
Dan Campbell, Ben Johnson Built Lions Into NFL Powerhouse Together
GettyDetroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell.
Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who hauled in nine receptions for 115 yards and three touchdowns against the Bears, predicted during the week how Detroit fans would greet Johnson upon his return.
“Week 2 is going to be so crazy, I promise you. It is going to be so electric,” he said during the “St. Brown Podcast” that he hosts with his brother. “But as soon as Ben walks in there, we’re booing him. I don’t give a f—. We all booing him.”
Lions head coach Dan Campbell’s tune was a bit different in the week leading up to the game, however. Johnson served as the team’s tight ends coach in 2020 under the previous regime, and Campbell kept him on the staff after the front office made a change to the coaching staff.
Campbell then promoted Johnson to offensive coordinator in 2022, and the two built one of the best teams in the league together from the ground up.
“Ben’s my friend. He’s always going to be my friend,” Campbell said. “Nothing about that’s going to change.”
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group's family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
