On paper, the Detroit Lions have everything an explosive offense could ask for, yet their performance and production on the gridiron early this season tell a completely different story. The offense that once looked ruthless in the Ben Johnson era is struggling after his departure, becoming a topic of discussion following their loss against the Buffalo Bills last night.
On that note, the former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho shed light on the effect of Ben Johnson on the Lions, with the head coach finding it difficult to find footing without his former offensive coordinator, who is now the head coach of the Chicago Bears.
“Dan Campbell without Ben Johnson is nothing. Nothing. It’s nothing. It’s a wrap. It’s blouses,” said Emmanuel Acho on a recent episode of the Speakeasy podcast. “So, with all due respect, like Ben Johnson. Yeah, it’s a wrap. I mean, the shine is off.”
“And I was thinking about this, the same stuff that they think is a testament of how good Ben Johnson is. When I look at the Lions, though, man, they got talent over there,” he added. “Yeah. And if Ben Johnson was here, you know what’s going to happen. Now he left. You know what’s going to happen. So this might be his last year, though. This is last year. Was Ben Johnson really the special sauce over there? Was he the thing that actually made the Lions special? Hell yeah.”
– @EmmanuelAcho SOUNDS OFF on Dan Campbell following the Lions’ disappointing 41-31 loss to the Bills
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While Acho has high praise for the current Bears HC, he also thinks that Johnson’s offensive genius made the Lions unique.
Emmanuel Acho Praises Ben Johnson’s Offensive Genius
While Dan Campbell took charge of the Lions in 2021, Ben Johnson was elevated to offensive coordinator in 2022 until he left for the head coach opportunity after the 2024 campaign. In his three seasons leading the Lions offense, they amassed high points and reached the playoffs twice, including the NFC Championship in 2023. But that spark is missing now, even though the Lions’ core offensive players are the same this season.
“Ben Johnson was the offensive coordinator. He helped make the Lions unique,” Acho further added during the same podcast. “But Ben Johnson would never use Jahmyr Gibbs 35 times. That’s one thing he would never do, first and foremost. The second thing Ben Johnson would never do is allow Amon-Ra St. Brown to go a quarter and a half with one-to-none targets.”
This is not just the former Eagles star’s opinion. Since Johnson walked away from Detroit, the team’s abysmal record has been difficult to ignore.
Dan Campbell’s Record Takes A Sharp Turn Without Ben Johnson
With Ben Johnson handling coaching duties as the OC, Dan Campbell has an impressive 36-15 record. However, the tables turn for him without the former Lions OC. Campbell has registered only 13 wins, 22 losses, and 1 tie, including the defeat against the Bills.
In addition, the franchise averaged 394.8 yards per game in the Johnson era, but that number dropped to 348.7 YPG when he was not calling plays. The Honolulu Blues also had two divisional titles in the Johnson era, but they finished last in 2025 and are off to a shaky start in the new season, showing what they are missing.
Lions Get Blunt Take on Dan Campbell’s Ben Johnson Era After Bills Loss