ALLEN PARK – Since taking over playcalling duties from offensive coordinator John Morton, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell has experienced the highs and lows of the added responsibility.
Heading into their Week 10 road game against the Washington Commanders, Campbell relieved Morton of the duties, not his position, and the result was an offensive explosion reminiscent of previous seasons under former OC Ben Johnson. There was urgency at the line; the tempo increased, and the offense appeared smoother, no longer burdened by the communication issues Campbell cited in their previous three losses.
Running back David Montgomery was used early and often, and receiver Jameson Williams saw a significant uptick in usage. The result was 546 yards of total offense in a 44-22 win over Washington.
Sunday night versus the Philadelphia Eagles was a different story. The Lions fell 16-9 at Lincoln Financial Field in the Week 11 matchup, and while the loss itself wasn’t the concerning part, it was the way Detroit looked on the way to its fourth defeat.
Detroit finished with just 317 yards of total offense. Quarterback Jared Goff threw for 255 yards and one touchdown on a 40-yard pass to Williams. Aside from that, it was one of the worst performances of his career: an interception off a tipped pass and a 38% completion rate.
The backfield duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and Montgomery combined for only 66 rushing yards (3.7 yards per carry). And receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown joined Goff in the career-worst category, catching only two of his 12 targets.
Campbell’s play-calling was directly tied to the offense’s struggles.
“I think there are some things – what you learn and what you do as you go along is, man, there’s always that time to where – OK, I’ll give you an example, man. We were second-and-short yesterday, it was like second-and-3-plus territory,” Campbell said. “I ran a keeper to the left. I hated it. I hated it. It was like, OK, well, do you take a shot, or do you just get the first? And if you are going to get the first, why do that? Why not run it one more time? Or maybe it is: you go to the shot or more of a completion play, or maybe it’s a three-step, maybe it’s a ball.
“And those are the little things you learn as you go, that I think could have been a lot better. The sequencing of a couple of things that I think will really help our guys. Those are things that it’s just, ‘Here we go, here we go, here we go.’ That’ll help. It’s going to help.”
With the defense playing at a near-elite level despite several starters being out, the offense getting back on track will be key for the Lions to reach the postseason, let alone capitalize on their much-discussed Super Bowl window.
At 6-4 and eighth in the NFC, ESPN gives the Lions a 71% chance of making the playoffs, a 34% chance of winning the division, a 2% chance of earning a bye, and a 10% chance of reaching the Super Bowl.
The Lions are 3-1 at home, and their next three games — Giants, Packers and Cowboys — are all at Ford Field. All three are winnable and offer a chance for the offense to reset and for Detroit to finally play clean football in all three phases, something Campbell believes is near.
“I’m still to that point where I feel like we still have not quite played our best game, our best games. And I’m talking about in all three phases,” Campbell said. “That’s the one thing, win, lose, where you just want to feel like, alright man, all three units contributed and we really complemented each other. Chicago was pretty dang good, Washington was good last week, but there were some things we wished we could have done a little bit better. It wasn’t like that in all three units, and that was good, believe me. But I just really feel like we haven’t played our best ball yet, collectively across all three units.
He continued by describing what he expects moving forward.
“Once we get there, I believe there will be no looking back. Now, it doesn’t mean you’re not going to have ups and downs; there’ll be some things in there, but yet, man, we’re going to be running so much more efficiently.
“So, I’m just optimistic. I know we’re going to be OK here. We weathered the storm, we get through it, we correct these issues. And let’s put together a good plan and let’s play better than we did collectively from last week and do what it takes to win the game.”
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.