Success speaks for itself. Ben Johnson was the primary reason the Detroit Lions were contenders the past three seasons. Yes, they have a talented roster and a good head coach. Anybody with eyes understood they were a team driven by its offense. They averaged almost 30 points per game in the 2023 playoffs. Last season, they had the best record in the NFL thanks to the #1 scoring offense. Johnson ran circles around much of his competition, and the man deserves all the respect he gets.
Yet people might not fully grasp what makes this man so dangerous. He is unquestionably a genius. Johnson’s intelligence is lauded by everybody who knows him. We’re talking Harvard-level stuff—a genuine nerd. However, that isn’t the main reason other teams hate going against him. Warren Sharp of Sharp Football pointed it out recently.
It is Johnson’s constant willingness to innovate.
Two years ago, he had one of the best offenses in the league. Despite that, he made significant changes to it going into 2024. Why? He felt it could be better.
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coolest thing about Ben Johnson was he had a GREAT Lions offense in 2023…and then tinkered like hell with it in 2024 to make it even better
today I'll share a deep dive into what Johnson changed with Detroit last year, what it means for Chicago & how it impacts the 2025 Lions https://t.co/MLqHom1r69
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) June 16, 2025
70+ yard TD drives last year:
46 – DET
45
44 – BAL
43
42
41
40
39
38 – TB
37
36
35
34 – BUF
33
32 – WAS, PHI
31 – CIN
30 – IND, ARI, NYJ
29
28
27 – KC, LAR, ATL, MIN
26 – SEA, SF
25
24 – GB
23 – JAX, DEN, CAR
22 – TEN, MIA
21 – NO, NYG, LAC
20 – PIT, LV, DAL
19 – NE
18 – CLE
17…
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) June 16, 2025
Ben Johnson is restless, and that’s perfect for this league.
He feels a constant need to push the boundaries of what is possible. There have been plenty of elite offensive minds over the years who dominated to such an extent that they never felt the need to explore new ideas. Mike Martz is one example. Then, before he knew it, his system had become outdated. Defenses adapt quickly in the NFL. Ben Johnson understands this. The only way to ensure it doesn’t happen to you is by tinkering every year, throwing new wrinkles into the formula. Andy Reid is one of the best in NFL history at doing this. He’s on his way to a gold jacket in Canton. The last Bears coach to have this type of approach was George Halas. He was one of the great innovators of his era, and it led to incredible success. Johnson is built the same way.