The Detroit Lions overwhelmed division rival Chicago and former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, stacking points and delivering key defensive stops en route to a 52-21 demolition at Ford Field.
Safety Brian Branch, who forced a fumble, had a sack and made six tackles, admitted the matchup with Johnson felt personal after the ex-OC joined a rival.
"Very motivated. We knew coming into this game that this is personal," Branch said, via ESPN. "Really, all these games personal, but this one we felt like we'd been betrayed from the staff to players. And we love Ben, we still love Ben. He's a great coach. He's a great mastermind but, yeah, it was time to get after him."
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Detroit harbors no animosity toward former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who took the Jets' head coach role this offseason. But bitterness remains for Johnson, who chose a rival over other options. As the Lions stacked a 50-burger, Detroit fans chanted "(expletive) Ben Johnson!"
Branch said the locker room has immense respect for Johnson, but he didn't agree with the decision to stay in the division.
"He could've went anywhere else, but he's gotta see us again," Branch said.
All offseason, the talk has been about how the Lions must face Johnson twice a year. The real issue might be the new Bears coach having to go against his former club.
The Lions looked like the juggernaut we saw last year during the regular season, dive-bombing Johnson's overmatched defense from every angle and forcing big plays with their own defensive unit, rattling quarterback Caleb Williams.
The 52-point output is tied for the second-most in a game for the Lions in club history -- Detroit scored 52 points in two games with Johnson in 2024.
The final tally came on a fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line with eight minutes remaining in the tilt, a hat trick to Amon-Ra St. Brown that conjured questions about whether the Lions were trying to embarrass Johnson. The Bears coach dismissed that narrative, knowing he's been on the other side of those decisions.
"What's he supposed to do?" Johnson said of Lions head coach Dan Campbell's decision. "It's fourth-and-goal, what do you want him to do? Yeah, he could have kicked the field goal. They don't kick field goals; they go for it there. He was doing what he's supposed to do. That's what he does."
The rematch won't come until Week 18 in Chicago, giving Johnson plenty of time to right the ship before having to face his former club again.