Bears at Lions Predictions: Pressure mounts for Cairo Santos as Ben Johnson returns home

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — A lot has changed since the Bears last visited Detroit.

Remember how that one ended?

Down 23-20 at the two-minute warning, the Bears had the ball at the 50-yard line. What transpired over the next two minutes of game time (12 minutes of real time) was one of the most confusingly egregious ends to a football game in recent memory.

With 43 seconds on the clock, the Bears had first-and-10 on Detroit’s 25. An illegal hands-to-the-face penalty on left guard Teven Jenkins set the Bears back ten yards. Then Caleb Williams was sacked at the DET 41 with 33 seconds left.

Ringing any bells yet?

With one timeout left, ex-head coach Matt Eberflus opted to let things play out. That resulted in the next snap coming with six seconds on the clock. It never made sense.

A shot to the end zone fell incomplete as time expired, and the next morning, Eberflus was fired, marking the first time the Bears had relieved a head coach of their duties midseason.

Eberflus stubbornly defended his decision-making in the waning moments of his tenure, standing by his choice to pocket the timeout and praising the staff’s process.

Standing on the opposite sideline was Ben Johnson.

Flash forward 10 months, and Johnson’s ability to accept responsibility for coaching shortcomings is already miles ahead of his predecessor.

After Monday night’s loss to the Vikings, Johnson was quick to accept blame for an unsuccessful challenge, a botched kickoff late in the game and for the offense’s lack of rhythm.

No decision has been more scrutinized than the one that urged Cairo Santos to bomb a kickoff that needed to be unreturnable through the end zone. The attempt fell short and ultimately cost the Bears roughly 40 seconds.

Had Santos successfully launched the ball beyond the end line, the ball would’ve been placed at the MIN 35. Any other violation against the NFL’s landing-zone policy would come out to the MIN 40 or worse — as a spot foul.

“I got greedy and I wanted the extra five yards,” Johnson said Friday. “That’s why we tried to kick it out of the back of the end zone. Simple as that, okay?”

The absence of finger-pointing won’t prohibit Johnson and the Bears from looking for avenues to push Santos for better results, especially after Santos missed a 50-yard field goal attempt to open the fourth quarter in Monday’s three-point loss.

It’s why the Bears are bringing in kicker Jake Moody, who was released by the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday, to their practice squad.

Moody, a former third-round pick, has faced several issues due to a lack of accuracy since entering the league in 2023. But it’s his kick power and achievable distance that should appeal to the Bears.

Over his final ten games with the 49ers spanning to last season, Moody made just 12 of his 23 attempts, including five misses on kicks between 40-49 yards.

Moody isn’t coming to Chicago with a stellar reputation. After all, the league’s best kickers are all already employed. But a little competition never hurt anybody.

Johnson said Friday: “We’re always having conversations every week on the special teams and how we want to go into each week.”

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With that, let’s take a look at the Week 2 matchup:

Adam Hoge

2025 record: 1-0

The Lions already appear to have a bit of an identity crisis on offense and the interior of their offensive line (with three new starters) struggled last week in Green Bay. The Bears have an advantage there and are likely getting T.J. Edwards and Jaylon Johnson back.

I’m not expecting the Bears offense to fix everything from last week, but Caleb Williams should play better. If they can use a scripted first drive to build a lead again, the defense should be able to hold on this time.

Bears 23, Lions 20

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Adam Jahns

2025 record: 1-0

Bears coach Ben Johnson should have the advantage against Lions new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen should also be able to get a handle on the offense of new Lions offensive coordinator John Morton, especially with the input of Johnson on his former team.

But the Lions right now are still the better team, and they’ll be motivated to defeat their former coach. Ford Field will be deafening from start to finish. The Bears should be able to keep this close but Johnson’s Bears offense isn’t humming yet. If this game were in Week 7 or 8, this could be a different story. Here in Week 2, it’s apparent that Johnson has a lot of work to do, especially with quarterback Caleb Williams.

Lions 26, Bears 20

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Patrick Norton

2025 record: 1-0

In a perfect world, where the Bears reasonably aspire to make a playoff push later this year, Sunday is not a game they can afford to lose.

To open 0-2 is bad. To open 0-2 in the division is worse.

I’ve been consistent in my belief that things wouldn’t look crisp with the offense out of the gates. Regardless of their expectations for themselves, it was never a reasonable outcome.

That’s not to say it won’t click down the road. Look at Jared Goff’s second year as a pro and first season under Sean McVay, for example. Things looked a lot better after the Rams’ bye week — as if something clicked.

An early bye for the Bears in 2025 makes that timeline trickier for Caleb Williams, but I think things will still come along as the year progresses. In Week 2, in an emotion-fueled environment on the road? Maybe not that quickly.

Lions 23, Bears 20

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Mark Carman

2025 record: 0-1

Bounce back vs the Lions, huh? It’s possible. Detroit did not look good, especially up front against Green Bay. Perhaps the Bears will be able to get pressure on Jared Goff.

I am worried about Grady Jarrett, who looks like he will play. But how effective will he be, dealing with a knee injury that kept him out of practice? The Bears still need to find their rhythm offensively. It feels like too much to expect them to do it on the road in Week 2 at Detroit.

Lions 27, Bears 20

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Greg Braggs Jr.

2025 record: 0-1

Both teams are looking to bounce back after losses in Week 1. It would appear the edge goes to the Lions, being back-to-back division Champs and being at home. But the edge to me goes to the Bears’ coaching staff.

Ben Johnson > Kelvin Sheppard
Dennis Allen > John Morton

And when it comes to Ben Johnson vs. Dan Campbell, they both know each other’s tendencies. But Ben knows the Lions front to back, while we’re all still trying to figure out who the Bears are under the new head coach.

Some wishcasting here on my part, but the Bears offense will face an easier defense than they did vs the Vikings, and the Bears defense will face a Lions offense that has some serious concerns on the offensive line. I think the Bears will surprise this week.

Bears 27, Lions 20

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Stephen Nicholas

2025 record: 0-1

Neither offense was as crisp as we would have expected in Week 1, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t think points will be piled up when Ben Johnson returns to Detroit. DJ Moore saw just 3 receptions on 5 targets in the Week 1 loss to the Vikings.

A matchup against the Lions could be just what the doctor ordered, as Moore has scored six total touchdowns (1 rush) in 7 career games against Detroit. That includes 99.4 receiving yards per game in those matchups.

My concern for the Bears in this game starts and ends with Jahmyr Gibbs, who averages 107.8 scrimmage yards per game against our beloved in his career. The Lions are just a bit too much to handle in this one as the Bears fall to 0-2. I very much want to be wrong.

Lions 30, Bears 24