Lions’ painful reality about losing Ben Johnson hits after one Bears drive
While Detroit Lions fans are still coping with the blowout loss they experienced against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, life continued to punch them square in the mouth the next day. Former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson took the field for the first time as the Chicago Bears head coach and, to the surprise of no one in Detroit, his offense went down the field and scored a touchdown on their first drive.
The drive saw the Bears go on a 10-play, 61-yard drive that lasted 5:41 and resulted in Caleb Williams running the ball in for a touchdown to put Chicago up 7-0 just like that. The Bears very much looked like the Lions have looked offensively the past few years and it's certainly not what the Lions fan base wanted to see. Lions fans hoped that losing Johnson wouldn't impact their team too much and that, selfishly, he'd struggle leading the Bears' offense, especially early on.
CALEB WILLIAMS TAKES IT IN HIMSELF
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While it's only one drive, seeing Williams go down the field and put the ball in the end zone, something he and the Bears offense struggled to do a year ago, further put the loss of Johnson into perspective. To make matters worse, their offense looked mostly inept in the 27-13 loss to the Packers on Sunday in their first game without Johnson running the offense. So, not only did their offense struggle in their first game of the post-Johnson era but his new offense thrived.
Lions’ nightmare without Ben Johnson became clear on Bears’ first drive
There probably wasn't much the Lions could do to keep Johnson from taking the Bears head coach job in the offseason but seeing him leave was still painful, especially since he went to a hated division rival. Lions fans definitely hope that the team can rebound offensively without him but if their struggles continue this year and the Bears suddenly can't stop scoring, it'd be something fans would have a tough time stomaching.
It's only the first quarter of a Week 1 game for Chicago but this would absolutely sting less if the Lions offense hadn't been so inefficient on Sunday. Let's hope that the tides turn quickly and the Lions can rebound under new offensive coordinator John Morton and that Johnson's Bears crash back down to earth sooner rather than later.
Aaron Rodgers' debut saved a Steelers' recent draft pick from being put under a microscope for his Week 1 performance
Aaron Rodgers was the catalyst behind the Pittsburgh Steelers' comeback win in Week 1. It was his MVP-like performance along with Chris Boswell's leg that willed the Steelers to victory. But he is no longer the rising tide that lifts all boats.
He can be a distributor whose decision-making, ball placement, and experience allow the Steelers' offense to succeed. But at almost 42 years old, he's obviously not as spry as he once was. Which makes him more of a sitting duck in the pocket, and puts pressure on his tackles to succeed.
Well, if the Pittsburgh Steelers lost that game and Aaron Rodgers didn't put up those numbers, LT Broderick Jones would be facing a lot of heat right now. Because when you see what his tape looked like, it's far from pretty.
Broderick Jones struggles mightily in Week 1
Watching the game live, I thought it was clear that Jones was struggling. He looked out of sorts, but I thought a lot of his struggles came down to what was happening with the coverage. That perhaps Rodgers was holding onto the ball for a tad too long.
That couldn't have been further from the truth.
When you turn on the tape, you see a player who struggled with power, with getting his hands up, with getting his shoulders square to the pass rusher. Jones finished the game with four pressures allowed and three sacks allowed, earning 54.5 grade per PFF, though the grade should be taken with a grain of salt.
Part of me says be patient, give him time and let's not forget this was his first real experinece at LT in the NFL.
The other part of me says, let's get the ball rolling here.
I know he was a LT with the Georgia Bulldogs and I know he's played two years in Pittsburgh. But all those habits he learned at RT, he has to unlearn them now at LT. All of the work he needed coming out of Georgia to be a stable left tackle, well that timeline is just starting.
And to be quite honest with you, the Steelers only have themselves to blame for that.
