Here’s just another reason why the Detroit Lions are fortunate to have Ben Johnson as offensive coordinator.
On the Centered on Buffalo podcast, Bills’ new defensive coordinator Bobby Babich was asked which NFL offensive coordinator was the most difficult to prepare against. Babich responded to Johnson quickly and without hesitation.
“It’s funny, we were just having this conversation today, I think Detroit does a great job—and this was from years ago—they do a lot of things and they do them well, which is hard to do,” remarked Babich. “That’s hard to do, and it’s hard to prepare for.”
Babich only had one encounter against Johnson in his coaching career: the 2022 Thanksgiving Game between the Lions and Bills. At the time, Babich was Buffalo’s linebackers coach, and it was certainly an offensive battle between the two teams. While the Bills ultimately came out victorious with a slight 28-25 win, the Lions were able to put up 25 points and 326 yards of offense against an excellent Bills defense that finished the season second in points allowed (17.9 per game).
This year, Babich—a first-time defensive coordinator—will have to go directly head-to-head against Johnson. The Bills and Lions are scheduled to face off against each other in Week 15 of the season at Ford Field. The Bills have won four straight games against the Lions, with Detroit’s last win in the matchup coming all the way back in 2006.
