Jaguars May Have Glimpsed Future HC in Lions Loss

If Sunday was an audition for Detroit Lions offensive coordinator in front of Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan, then consider it a success.

Nov 17, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson watches a replay against Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. Mandatory Credit: Junfu Han/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images / Junfu Han/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

If Sunday's loss to the Detroit Lions was the end of one era for the Jacksonville Jaguars, maybe it could also mark the start of the next.

The Jaguars had a last-ditch effort to potentially save head coach Doug Pederson's job, but a 52-6 loss to the Lions did anything but. The Jaguars' offense, which is supposed to be Pederson's expertise, failed to hit 200 yards for the second straight game.

And on the other side of the ball, the Lions recorded nearly 40 first downs and were just shy of a 700-yard day. The Lions scored touchdowns on each of their first seven drives, pounding the Jaguars into an unrecognizable rubble before it was even halftime.

The coach who is arguably most responsible for the biggest loss in franchise history? Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who got to show Jaguars owner Shad Khan his full resume. With Khan in attendance as the Lions scored on every single drive with the starting offense in, Johnson may not even need an interview in January. Sunday's win was enough.

"We were moving the ball pretty good. I thought our run game was really good, our pass game obviously was pretty good too – everything’s working. It felt as if Ben (Johnson) could kind of call anything, and we were going to make it work," Lions quarterback Jared Goff said after the game.

Goff is right; no matter what the Lions did on offense, the Jaguars couldn't stop it. Johnson went up against Khan's team and Khan's head coach and proved why he is one of the most coveted head coach candidates in recent league memory.

If Khan is looking for an offensive mastermind to replace Pederson and guide Trevor Lawrence in 2025 and beyond, then Johnson might be exactly what he is looking for. And Khan can now be confident in Johnson as an answer, because he saw him dismantle his team right in front of him.

"Look, everybody on offense is going to get a game ball for that. I mean, that, that was – you get over 600 yards of offense, and you’re whatever that was – five-of-five in the redzone, third down was outstanding, I don’t know how many explosives we had, but we had a ton, and then the first downs, 30-something first downs," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said after the game.

"I mean, that’s just, that’s a collective effort, that takes a lot of guys to be able to do that. But, we have, we’ve got power up front, with our O-line, and we’ve got some serious juice in the backfield, in the perimeter, and we’ve got the right balance of electricity, and just whatever you want to call it. Sledgehammer, I don’t know.”

If the Lions' offense is a sledgehammer, then Johnson is the one swinging it. And if Khan is lucky, Johnson could potentially be bringing the hammer to Jacksonville next season.

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