The Lions said there was no reason to panic. They backed up their words on Sunday with an emphatic 52-21 win over Ben Johnson and the Bears in the home opener at Ford Field.
After struggling in last week's loss to the Packers, Detroit's offense looked as good as it ever did when Johnson was calling plays. The first play from scrimmage was a 34-yard pass from Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Lions were in the end zone four plays later when Jahmyr Gibbs scampered untouched around the edge.
The Lions racked up over 500 total yards and averaged more than nine yards per play before pulling their starters in the fourth quarter. They averaged just 3.8 last week, the second lowest of the Dan Campbell era. The highlight of the first half was yet another one-handed catch by rookie Isaac TeSlaa that set up a buzzer-beating touchdown from Goff to St. Brown that gave the Lions a 28-14 lead at the break. They didn't look back from there.
David Montgomery, on a one-yard plunge, and Brock Wright, on an eight-yard catch, added touchdowns in the first half. Jameson Williams got in on the fun in the second half, catching two passes for 108 yards in the third quarter, including a 44-yard touchdown.
St. Brown caught his second touchdown on an eight-yard pass early in the fourth and his third on a four-yard pass -- on fourth down, no less -- later in the fourth to send the Lions past the half-century mark on the scoreboard.
The Lions' defense had a field day of its own, headlined by a pass rush that racked up four sacks after getting shut out in that column last week. Kerby Joseph had a diving interception, while Brian Branch forced a fumble that was recovered by Jack Campbell with a thunderous hit on former Lions running back D'Andre Swift. The Lions also got two key fourth down stops in the first half to tilt the game in their favor.
Aidan Hutchinson notched his first sack since breaking his leg last October, and punctuated it by showing love to the crowd.
Goff did as he typically does after a loss. He had a near flawless performance, going 23-for-28 for 334 yards and five touchdowns. And the Lions got back to mauling on the ground, with Gibbs and Montgomery combining for 6.6 yards per carry.
The win prevents the Lions from falling into an early hole in the NFC North, while sending Johnson and the Bears to an 0-2 start.