Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown breaks silence on backlash directed at Chicago Bears HC Ben Johnson

The Detroit Lions were the hottest team in the NFL — until they weren't. With the No. 1 seed wrapped up, they had time to rest and get healthy before they faced the Washington Commanders in the divisional round. However, injuries on defense and some sloppy play on offense resulted in the Lions' playoff stint lasting for only one game after a 45-31 loss to Jayden Daniels and Co.

The defeat also proved to be offensive coordinator Ben Johnson's final game in charge of the unit. The Chicago Bears wasted no time in naming him as the 18th coach in the franchise's 106-year history soon after Detroit crashed out of the playoffs. The timing of it all irritated more than a few fans as reports emerged that Johnson was already busy assembling an all-star cast for his staff in Chicago.

Lions fans made their voice heard on social media with several accusing Johnson of running the offense in the playoffs half-heartedly. Bears wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown talked about it on Wednesday's episode of the "St. Brown Podcast," and he made it clear that he had Johnson's back.

“Everyone on Twitter, the Lions fans, f**king hating on him, talking about he didn’t prepare for this," St. Brown said. "He was taking interviews in the bye week.

"Trust me. I know Ben. He was as locked in as can be for that game. I’m happy for him. I talked to him on Sunday. Obviously, he was devastated with the loss. But he told me he doesn’t know what he’s doing yet. He didn’t know if he was staying or leaving. I think it was Bears, Jaguars, Raiders.”

---

Why Detroit Lions could be in trouble after Ben Johnson's exit

While Ben Johnson has already signed to be the Bears' next coach, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is next on that list. Per multiple reports, Glenn is in negotiations with the New York Jets to be their next coach.

However, it's not just Johnson and Glenn leaving Detroit. Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams is reportedly set to join the New England Patriots as their DC under Mike Vrabel while Johnson and Glenn are also expected to take a slew of assistants with them to their new teams. When the dust settles, Dan Campbell could be left with a significant task to reshape his staff for the 2025 season.