DETROIT — Start your engines. The Ben Johnson Derby is about to begin.
A Motor City meltdown on Saturday night — the top-seeded Lions lost to the Commanders, 45-31, at Ford Field — makes Johnson, the hottest candidate on the market, eligible to meet in-person with head coach-hungry teams starting Monday. The Lions offensive coordinator already held virtual interviews with the Bears, Raiders and Jaguars. The Cowboys will be allowed to meet with him, too, should they choose.
What does he want? What will the teams offer? And will Saturday night be a point in his favor, or not?
The Bears boast quarterback Caleb Williams, the Jaguars Trevor Lawrence. The Raiders have a general manager opening that would allow input from Johnson — plus new part-owner Tom Brady. The Cowboys have Jerry Jones’ money.
Johnson will have his choice of the above — or to stay in Detroit, as he has the past two offseasons when teams came calling.
Compared to the dreck the Bears put on the field for 17 weeks, Saturday night’s game looked like a different sport played by a different species. The offense looked like it came from the future.
The Bears are behind the times. They hope to fix that, perhaps with Johnson or Commanders play-caller Kliff Kingsbury, though he’s not expected to meet with teams until his team is eliminated. The Bears know Kingsbury, having somehow turned him down for their offensive coordinator job a year ago. All he did was transform Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was chosen one spot behind the Bears’ Caleb Williams, into the likely Offensive Rookie of the Year. Daniels was marvelous Saturday, going 22-for-31 for 299 yards and a 122.9 passer rating.
The Bears could use the swashbuckling both Johnson and Kingsbury showed Saturday night. The Commanders used elite spacing to try to outrun a Lions defense weakened by injury. The Lions relied on the league’s best offensive line. They combined for 42 points in the second quarter, the most points scored in a quarter in the history of the playoffs. The frame felt like a home run derby — there was no question both sides were going to score; it was just matter of how awe-inspiring the touchdowns would be.
The Lions had 309 yards at halftime, the Commanders 312. The Bears had more than 312 total yards in an entire game just six times this year.
The Commanders led the Lions at halftime, 31-21. The Bears had fewer than 21 points in a full game 10 times this season.
Either coordinator would launch the Bears into the future, offensively.
With quarterback Jared Goff being tested for a concussion in the second quarter, the Lions were forced to play Teddy Bridgewater, who spent most of the season as a high school football coach in Florida. On the third play of the drive, Johnson called a reverse for receiver Jameson Williams, who ran up the left flank for a 61-yard touchdown and did a front flip into the end zone. It was longer than any run the Bears had all season.
Johnson’s creativity flopped at the worst time. Trailing by 10 early in the fourth quarter, Johnson called a reverse pass — and Williams threw an interception.
Kingsbury had his own mistake — the Commanders tried to fake a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-one in the first quarter and were stuffed — but otherwise called an impeccable game. Trailing 14-10 midway through the second quarter, he countered a linebacker blitz by having Daniels throw a quick screen to receiver Terry McLaurin, who had two receivers blocking two defenders and ran up the left sideline for a 58-yard touchdown. It was longer than any Bears reception all season.
As the Bears ponder their future, they should remember Saturday night — and just how futuristic it looked — when their head coaching search ramps up Monday.