NFL defensive coordinator crowns Lions OC Ben Johnson as biggest challenge

The praise for Lions OC Ben Johnson keeps coming in. The latest is directly from an NFL defensive coordinator.

In case you needed another reminder that the Detroit Lions are lucky to have offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, here’s the latest.

On the Centered on Buffalo podcast, Bills’ new defensive coordinator Bobby Babich was asked which NFL offensive coordinator was toughest to prepare against. With little hesitation, Babich answered Johnson.

“It’s funny, we were just having this conversation today, I think Detroit does a great job—and this was from years ago—they do a lot of things and they do them well, which is hard to do,” Babich said. “That’s hard to do, and it’s hard to prepare for.”

Babich only had one encounter against Johnson in his coaching career: the 2022 Thanksgiving Game between the Lions and Bills. At the time, Babich was Buffalo’s linebackers coach, and it was certainly an offensive battle between the two teams. While the Bills ultimately came out victorious with a slight 28-25 win, the Lions were able to put up 25 points and 326 yards of offense against an excellent Bills defense that finished the season second in points allowed (17.9 per game).

This year, Babich—a first-time defensive coordinator—will have to go directly head-to-head against Johnson. The Bills and Lions are scheduled to face off against each other in Week 15 of the season at Ford Field. The Bills have won four straight games against the Lions, with Detroit’s last win in the matchup coming all the way back in 2006.

You can watch the short clip of Babich’s answer below, or you can listen to the entire conversation over at the Centered on Buffalo podcast here.