Ben Johnson doesn’t have to wait long to revisit some nostalgia.

He was asked about the thought process and emotions of choosing to leave Detroit, especially choosing to leave the top offense he built for a division rival for what’s going to be a multi-year project.

Johnson, now 0-1 at the helm of the Chicago Bears, said he still considers the coaching staff in Detroit friends.

“At times, you have to make tough decisions,” Johnson said Wednesday. “That’s really how that went down.”

Now, in Week 2, Johnson will face the winner he helped build while trying to steer the ship of the team he hopes to take to the same heights.

The other side:

Johnson goes way back with Lions head coach Dan Campbell. So far back, the two were assistants on the Miami Dolphins’ staff under Adam Gase.

Then, Campbell, the former NFL tight end, would poke fun at Johnson, the new-age style of coach.

“We have fond memories of back when I was just a ‘young, snot-nosed, computer punk,’ as he’d like to call it in Miami,” Johnson recalled. “I feel like we’ve both grown up in this profession of coaching, he’s been in it for a long time as a player, and we’ve both come a long way.”

Now, Johnson and Campbell will get a chance to face the nostalgia of it all.

Johnson left behind his Lions’ offense, which was No. 1 or in the top three of nearly every NFL offensive statistic in the 2024 season. In Week 1, neither Johnson or Campbell fared particularly well without each other.

The Bears’ offense stumbled in a 27-24 collapse in primetime against the Minnesota Vikings. The Lions never really threatened the Packers in their 27-13 loss to Green Bay. Johnson could have used some better coaching decisions. Campbell could have used a reactive offense.

Johnson, however, expects an improved Lions team on the field in Week 2.

“It’s week one in the NFL, so there’s really a lot of unknowns that pops up,” Johnson sai. “I thought Green Bay came out flying around. I thought that’s what showed up on their tape.”

The Lions’ offense was limited by a Packers’ defense that included recently acquired Micah Parsons, and the Packers’ offense was methodical in how it scored points against the Lions’ defense.

In that film, Johnson will take plenty of it with a grain of salt.

He’s seen enough football to believe they’ll play better football with the benefit of a week’s worth of film.

“They have some young players up front, and so I anticipate them to be much improved this week,” Johnson said.

What’s next:

Nostalgia or not, Johnson won’t have too much time to get caught up in the Ford Field he helped build. He’ll be on the otherside with a team of Pro Bowlers staring him down.

Bears’ safety Kevin Byard listed the tale of the tape: the backfield duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, the receiving combo of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta, arguably the best offensive line in the NFL and seasoned quarterback Jared Goff.

That’s just on offense, too. Still, Byard sees some positives from Monday night they could carry over into Sunday’s noon game vs. Detroit.

“I think we can stop the run game and be able to mix and disguise our coverages to get him to check the ball down like he was doing a lot in the Green Bay game,” Byard said. “I think that’s a form of success and we have to do that and just fly around. Play free. Go make plays. Get some turnovers and try to duplicate what we did on Monday night, for four quarters instead of three.”

The Bears can take note of how their coverage disguises worked on Monday. During ESPN’s Monday Night Football “Manningcast,” former NFL MVP and commentator Peyton Manning mentioned how he was having trouble discerning the Bears’ coverages because they disguised them so well.

For the offense, Johnson’s adjustments were simple.

“I’ve got to call more runs,” he said.

The Bears ran the ball 26 times, with six of those runs being quarterback scrambles by Caleb Williams. D’Andre Swift ran the ball 17 times, and rookie running back Kyle Monangai did not have a carry. Getting the run game to work will help the Bears’ passing game, but there needs to be a balance.

Part of that early gameplan is for the Bears to impose their will on the Lions.

“The more physical team, more often than not in this game, is gonna come out the winner,” Bears receiver Rome Odunze said. “We’re gonna be on the right side of that.