One of the top concerns for the Lions entering the 2025 season was the loss of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, and Week 1 did not do much to ease those worries.
In the Lions' first game since Johnson departed for the Bears and John Morton took over as offensive coordinator, they looked like a shell of the explosive, creative unit they were the past two seasons. After ranking top-five in total offense and scoring each of the last two years, the Lions mustered just two field goals before garbage time, 246 total yards and 46 rushing yards against the Packers.
Quarterback Jared Goff, who was 31-for-39 for 225 yards a touchdown and an interception, also didn't play with the efficiency or find the success he did under Johnson on Sunday. Still, Goff is not panicking, and assured that they are simply adjusting to their new offensive communication and play-caller.
"It’s a new human," said Goff, via 97.1 The Ticket, "So there’s different things going on. I think back to 2022 when Ben was in his first year and we started 1–6. Not by any means saying that’s where we’re headed, but I think there were growing pains there, too, offensively. And then we got into a good rhythm halfway through the year. Certainly we want to get into that rhythm this week, though. We don’t want to wait until Week 6 or 7 to find that out. But I think that’s natural when there’s a new coordinator, a new guy calling plays.
"He’s getting used to us still, we’re getting used to him still and some of that progression is still happening. ... But it’s all moving in the right direction, it’s all stuff I’m optimistic about, and by no means am I worried about any of it."
Goff did emphasize that the Lions are going to need some urgency to both improve and put better results on the field, starting with when they face Johnson and the Bears this Sunday. With games against Chicago, the Ravens, Bengals and Chiefs looming, the Lions need their offense to pick up quickly if they want to remain in the thick of the NFC North and playoff race.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jared Goff Brushes Off Concerns Over Lions Offense Without Ben Johnson.