The Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears enter Week 2 coming off very different, but equally discouraging defeats to begin the season. Detroit was thoroughly beaten by the Green Bay Packers, while the Bears collapsed late at home against the Minnesota Vikings.

Such ugly losses to start the campaign increase the urgency for both clubs in Sunday’s matchup at Ford Field, as the Lions host ex-offensive coordinator Ben Johnson in his return as an opponent.

“Ben’s my buddy. He’ll always remain my buddy. That will never change,” Lions coach Dan Campbell told reporters this week, per the Detroit News. “But we’re preparing for Chicago. We’re going to win this game. We must.”

“No one’s offering sympathy. We have a short turnaround to get prepared for Sunday in Detroit, our first road matchup,” Johnson said after Monday’s defeat. “We need to flip the page quickly.”

According to NFL Research, Johnson is the first head coach to face his former club within his opening two games since Sean McDermott in 2017, when McDermott’s Bills visited Ron Rivera’s Panthers in Week 2, with Carolina winning 9-3.

The Lions ranked top-five in both total and scoring offense under Johnson’s direction. In Week 1 without him, they averaged only 3.8 yards per play against Green Bay, their lowest mark since Week 6, 2021, versus Cincinnati (3.7), before Johnson became play-caller.

Meanwhile, Chicago fell apart at home, blowing an 11-point fourth-quarter cushion in Johnson’s debut. The new coach had issues managing the game, beginning with a failed challenge and ending with a kickoff that let Minnesota reach the two-minute warning. He quickly learned the head role requires more than just strong play-calling.

Johnson knows what awaits him Sunday in Detroit, with Lions fans expected to make things as tough as possible for his offense inside Ford Field.

“Maybe (a silent count) will work for us. We’ll need it, and we’ll need sharp execution because it’s going to be loud,” Johnson said Tuesday on a media call, via MLive. “This will feel like a playoff atmosphere. Ford Field has been electric the past few years, so we must bring our best.”

Whoever prevails Sunday can breathe easier about their position. Since 1990, teams starting 1-1 have reached the playoffs 41.6 percent of the time. But the loser faces a major obstacle. Clubs beginning 0-2 have advanced just 12.2% of the time.