The Drew Petzing complaint Lions fans are raging about is something Ben Johnson did constantly in Detroit and still does in Chicago
Detroit is scoring 31 points per game through two weeks, yet one play-calling tendency has some fans furious with Drew Petzing. There’s just one problem: Ben Johnson loved doing it too.
The Detroit Lions are averaging 31 points a game on offense through two weeks. That’s a pretty good sign that what offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is bringing to Detroit is working. But if you asked some Lions fans on Friday morning after the loss to the Buffalo Bills, they’d tell you he should be fired.
I don’t get that. I really don’t get that.
The second-and-long run complaint is nothing new
The big thing some fans are latching onto is runs on second and long. I get how that looks. He runs on second and long, and you feel like, hey, just pass the ball. But here’s the thing: this is not new. This isn’t something Drew Petzing brought to Detroit. Ben Johnson was doing this constantly.
“We ran the ball a s*** ton on third down … because that’s actually the best time to run the ball.”
Ben Johnson on Pardon My Take
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Go back to 2022. Johnson ran on second-and-10-plus 52 times. He ran on second-and-7-9 34 times. In 2023, he ran it on second-and-10-plus 44 times, and on second-and-7-9 37 times. In 2024, 36 times on second-and-10-plus, 55 times on second-and-7-9. Then last year with John Morton and Dan Campbell calling plays, they did it 34 times on second-and-10-plus, 38 times on second-and-7-9.
So far, Petzing has done it 9 times on second-and-10-plus, 3 times on second-and-7-9. And if you look at what Johnson did in 2025 with the Chicago Bears, he ran it 52 times on second-and-10-plus, 43 times on second-and-7-9.
This isn’t something Petzing just invented. This is something Johnson installed, something he and Campbell built together. The idea is you’re almost treating second down like it’s first down. If first down doesn’t work, second down becomes first down, you try to run the ball, and you get to a third and manageable. From there you try to make something happen, and if you can’t, you’re at fourth and manageable. That’s where you see the Lions typically go for it on fourth down. It’s usually fourth and short.
Look at the play sequencing. First-and-10 doesn’t work. Second-and-10, you get a 5-yard run. Now you’re at third-and-5. You try something, maybe a pass, you pick up 3 yards, and now you’re at fourth-and-2. You go for it depending on where you are on the field. It doesn’t always work, but when it does, nobody notices it. It’s just a thing the Lions do.
The numbers show Petzing and Johnson are almost identical
This isn’t the only similarity between Petzing and Johnson. Steven Patton from Patton Analytics measured play-caller tendencies for all offensive coordinators in Week 1, looking at personnel diversification, play sequencing, and other tendencies. Look at who’s right next to each other on that graph: Johnson and Petzing. They diversify, they sequence, they do all these things the same exact way. This is just Week 1 data, but I’d bet when the Week 2 update comes out, they’ll still be right next to each other.
The Lions essentially hired Ben Johnson again, and so far it’s working. 31 points per game.
Why the outrage doesn’t add up
I don’t understand why people are saying Petzing should be fired after averaging 31 points a game in the first two games of the season. I don’t understand why people keep thinking Dan Campbell is bad without Johnson when Petzing is doing the same stuff Johnson does. And I don’t understand why we’re freaking out after Week 2 on a short week. The offense looked great. The defense needs help. That’s where the conversation should be.
Now, I’ll agree with you in a sense. There’s a time and a place for that run on second-and-10. Johnson himself has talked in the past about how running on second and long is conceptually the right call because more often than not, defenses are preparing for a pass, and ideally you’re getting more open gaps for running backs to get through. I will agree, though, that if you’re backed up in your own territory, maybe that’s not the best time to run on second and long. The Lions did that, and it wasn’t just a Petzing thing. Detroit did that plenty under Johnson, too.
Go ahead and run the ball on second and long at the right time, but let’s not make it a habit in the shadow of your own goalpost. There I’ll agree. Other than that, I’m with Johnson and Petzing on this. It’s the best time to run because no one’s expecting it. If I were the Lions, this is where I would start putting in more 12 and 13 personnel, making teams think you’re going to run, and then start passing on second and long. The idea is you want to get teams to follow a pattern. We’ll see what happens.
Petzing is doing a great job. That’s the last thing the Lions need to worry about right now.
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