Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions
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This dude needs to wake up. He's talking smack about the Detroit Lions, and we don't appreciate the chatter.
It’s that exciting time in the world of the Detroit Lions, when the team is close to kicking off their 2025-26 season, and the team’s first game will be against Green Bay Packers in Green Bay on Sunday, September 7. While the Packers are big rivals for the Lions, the biggest rival right now for Detroit is the Chicago Bears, because on top of being in the NFC North, the Bears have a new head coach in former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
So, it’s payback time, baby. The Lions are out for blood this season, especially when playing Johnson. He left the team just a few days after their brutal, and surprising, playoff loss to the Washington Commanders. The first game the Lions have up against the Bears will be one of the most exciting for both franchises.
The Bears have no reason to brag right now, considering they were at the bottom of the NFC North last season. But, that didn’t stop a Bear legend from talking some smack about the Detroit Lions in a new interview.
Bears Showing No Respect for the Detroit Lions
Bears legend Devin Hester has been doing some interviews as of late, and in one of those talks, his chat turned to the Lions. During an interview with Fanduel TV’s Up & Adams, Hester basically said that Johnson going to Chicago means the Detroit Lions will be last in the NFC North.
“I’m telling you with the OC change, Detroit over the last three years was known for their offense if we really want to be honest. If you take away their 28 point per game average, they lose a lot of games,” Hester said in the interview. “Their defense was pretty good but it was their offense that kept the defense off the field a lot.”
He added, “I don’t see that offense keeping that defense off the field that much now, that offense will struggle in the first few games and it’s going to make the defense tired.”
Sure, losing Johnson to the Bears will hurt the Lions, likely, and it being a rival makes it that much worse. But, the Lions were No. 1 in the NFC North last season. To so solidly say that the Lions will fall to the last spot in the division is pretty wild. It’s kind of crazy talk.
Ex-Bears Player’s Comments on Lions Are a Stretch
Michael Bohlin from Detroit Jock City agrees that it’s a total stretch to say that the Lions will be last in the division.
“It is completely understandable why Hester would do his best to promote his former team with the excitement surrounding the new regime in Chicago,” he says in a piece published on Wednesday, September 2. “Choosing the Lions as the team that he publicly disrespected in this manner was not a wise decision, though. The last thing Dan Campbell and this Detroit roster need is extra motivation, and Hester just put a shiny target on the back of the Bears with this stance.”
Even with Johnson working his magic with the Bears, it’s not as much a stretch to say that they’ll keep that bottom spot in the NFC North warm for at least this season.