Opinion: Lions OC Ben Johnson just coached his way into a head coaching job with NFC foe
UPDATE: Ben Johnson is set to return to Detroit after being considered the top candidate for Washington. Days before the Detroit Lions traveled to San Francisco to play the 49ers, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was said to have a chance to "lock up" the head coaching job with the Washington Commanders once he had his in-person […]
UPDATE: Ben Johnson is set to return to Detroit after being considered the top candidate for Washington.
Days before the Detroit Lions traveled to San Francisco to play the 49ers, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was said to have a chance to "lock up" the head coaching job with the Washington Commanders once he had his in-person interview next Tuesday.
The way I see it, Johnson locked it up on Sunday despite a heartbreaking loss that put an end to a fantastic Lions season.
Despite the end result, what Johnson did during the NFC Championship game versus the 49ers was as good as it gets. The Lions entered the ballgame knowing if they had a shot at pulling off an upset, it would have to be with a strong running game.
Johnson made sure to make that count as his unit averaged seven yards per carry in the first half and got off to a great start right out of the gate.
It took his offense merely four plays to find the end zone as a beautifully schemed play resulted in Jameson Williams going 42 yards for a touchdown. The play itself was a reverse that had the defense thinking run to the left before three blockers paved the way for Williams to the right. If you zero in on Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, you can see how perfectly Johnson took the Niners' best players out of the play.
After such a strong opening statement, Johnson didn't hesitate to double down. He did a great job calling the game over calling plays as he kept leaning on the same rushing concepts to bully the Niners defense into a 24-7 halftime deficit.
I'll admit that's exactly when I started writing this article and I've got to say: I don't know how the Commanders make any other choice that's not Ben Johnson to be their next head coach.
What went wrong for the Lions on Sunday was more about execution rather than play-calling as a costly Jahmyr Gibbs' fumble and a couple of costly drops swung the game around. Even the controversial fourth-down play-calls were very solid despite the lack of execution from players.
Ben Johnson's stock went up vs. 49ers
Considering we've already heard he's viewed as the top candidate for Washington, Johnson's stock couldn't go anywhere but down. It somehow found a way to rise to an all-time high in the presence of former Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers, who is assisting the Commanders in their coaching search.
"Johnson has been, with little debate, viewed as the top offensive candidate who would be a first-time head coach," wrote Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr last week. "He has been linked to Washington for some time."
The Commanders happen to own the No. 2 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft the same year that Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are available at quarterback. With a new ownership preaching a modern way of building an NFL team, it makes all the sense in the world for them to seek an offensive minded coach over a defensive one like the Baltimore Ravens' Mike Macdonald. I'd place a good amount of money on Johnson heading to the NFC East. Both Johnson and Macdonald are set up to interview with Washington and the Seattle Seahawks.
When Johnson takes that in-person interview on Tuesday, he might not make it out of the building. To me, it's more a matter of whether or not he likes the job more than if the Commanders like him.
Versus San Francisco, Johnson's offense went 6-of-12 on third down, averaged 6.1 yards per play, and was 3-for-4 in the red zone. For the regular season, the Lions ended as the fifth-best team per DVOA.
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