Dan Campbell recently acknowledged that Detroit’s offensive coordinator, John Morton, isn’t the sole reason the Lions’ offense has struggled.
For a brief moment, it looked as if all of Detroit’s offensive problems had been solved. After weeks of stagnation under Morton’s direction, Campbell stepped in to call plays and guided the Lions to an explosive 44–22 victory over the Washington Commanders.
Many assumed Campbell’s adjustments had resolved the issues that had dragged the team down early in the season. Still, some fans were puzzled—if not alarmed—when Campbell hinted that Morton might eventually resume play-calling duties.
Sunday’s 16–9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles offered some clarity. Facing one of the league’s toughest defenses, Detroit’s offense never found its footing. Campbell suggested afterward that the problems went deeper than Morton’s choices alone.
“We just couldn’t establish any rhythm on offense,” Campbell explained to reporters, per ESPN’s Eric Woodyard. He admitted there were calls he regretted and felt he hadn’t put his players in the best position to succeed. In his view, that summed up the entire night.
Detroit’s Ongoing Lack of Flow Shows Why Campbell Left the Door Open for Morton
Campbell’s assessment echoed earlier criticism from Amon-Ra St. Brown, who after the Week 9 loss to Minnesota said the offense hadn’t found a consistent “flow” since Ben Johnson left for the Chicago Bears head-coaching job. Those same problems resurfaced against Philadelphia.
Third downs were a major issue once again—Detroit converted only three of thirteen attempts. That was in line with their season-long inconsistency, entering the game ranked 21st in the NFL in conversion rate. Their aggressive approach on fourth down compounded the problem. The Lions under Campbell are known for pushing the envelope, and their 18 fourth-down attempts this season were tied for eighth-most in the league.
On Sunday, though, Campbell went for it five times and failed on every single attempt. According to Woodyard, it marked only the second instance in NFL history of a team going 0-for-5 or worse; the Lions had also been responsible for the other occurrence in 2022 against New England.
On top of the decision-making issues, the interior offensive line struggled badly against Philadelphia’s dominant pass rush. Jared Goff spent much of the game under heavy pressure, finishing 14-for-37 with 255 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
There were a few bright spots: Jameson Williams hauled in four receptions for 88 yards and a score, while Jahmyr Gibbs put up 146 yards from scrimmage, including 107 receiving yards on five catches. Even so, Detroit never settled into any consistent offensive rhythm, and much of that was due to the Eagles’ exceptional defensive play.
Now Detroit faces a crossroads. Campbell could stick with play-calling duties and hope that Sunday was simply an off night. But at 6–4, with the Chicago Bears now ahead of them in the division, the Lions can’t afford many more missteps. Handing the reins back to Morton is also an option, but one that carries obvious risk given how the first half of the season unfolded.
Detroit has just seven regular-season games left, starting with next week’s matchup against the New York Giants, to sort out the offensive identity they want to carry into the playoff race.
