The Detroit Lions go up against their former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears on Sunday, January 4, in what marks the Lions’ final game of the season for 2025-26. For the first time since 2022, head coach Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions are out of the postseason, so their farewell to the season happens this Sunday.
Even though the Detroit Lions are only playing for pride, Campbell has made it clear that the team will give it their all. The team fell out of the postseason on Christmas Day, December 25, according to NFL research, with a loss to the Minnesota Vikings at home, with a 23-10 final score.
“Sometimes you got to hit rock bottom before you can work your way back up. And relative to where we were at, this is rock bottom, you know,” Campbell told reporters on Wednesday, December 31. “But as bad as it looks, I said this the other day, it’s not as far away as it may be up here. We just got to get a few things back in line here.”
As for the Bears game, Campbell added, “We got one more, you know, and what we are willing to do to try to get this win.”
Ben Johnson Sends a Message to Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions
Since the Bears are already in the playoffs and don’t have the chance to get the No. 1 spot in the NFC, because they lost to the 49ers on Sunday, December 28, one might think the Bears will take it easy against the Lions. But, one would be wrong. Johnson sent a message, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, December 31, and said that he’s not holding back. The Bears are playing for the No. 2 slot in the NFC, so that’s on the line.
“We’re constantly improving. That’s the goal, at least,” Johnson said on Wednesday. “We’ve got a lot of young players where each week you do see growth. We’re going to stay true to our process throughout this thing. This is the next one.”
He added, “Certainly, coming off a loss like that, too, you don’t want to go into the postseason with two losses in a row. You want to have a little momentum behind you to get you going. That’s part of the thought process.”
Previously, Johnson said that the team was “playing to win,” too, which adds to this narrative. He also promised that the Bears would be playing their best football in December, and that’s certainly happening.
Ben Johnson Isn’t Scared of Injuries Before Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears Game
“I would credit our veteran leadership for that,” Johnson said of the team’s late season rise. “I think usually when you have a young team, a really young team, they tend to ride the wave a little bit more of going up and down.”
He added, “I think we’ve got a really good core of veteran leaders that keep the main thing the main thing in the locker room and make sure everybody’s focused on the goal at hand.”
Sure, there’s an injury risk in every game, and that’s why NFL teams rest their starters in late December. But, Johnson isn’t doing that, and that’s bad news for the Detroit Lions.
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