The Detroit Lions suffered another frustrating loss Sunday night, falling 32-26 to the Carolina Panthers and dropping to 2-2 on the season.
With questions beginning to surround Detroit’s coaching staff, head coach Dan Campbell made it clear that he was not interested in placing the blame on offensive coordinator John Morton.
Campbell instead accepted responsibility for the team’s execution and said Morton should not be viewed as the reason for the Lions’ struggles.
“It’s on me. I’m the head coach. If it’s not right, it’s not on John, it’s on me. I need to do a better job of helping him out and getting these guys in a position to succeed.”
The Lions entered the season facing significant expectations after losing former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to the Chicago Bears. Morton was tasked with helping Detroit maintain the offensive identity it had established under Johnson.
The transition has understandably drawn attention, but Sunday’s loss was not simply an offensive failure. Detroit actually finished with 452 total yards, including 412 passing yards from Jared Goff.
The bigger issue came on the other side of the ball. Carolina produced 445 yards and scored 32 points, continuing a troubling defensive trend for the Lions early in the season.
Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Still, Campbell’s decision to publicly stand behind Morton shows how quickly he is willing to take responsibility when things go wrong. Detroit has 13 games remaining, and the head coach does not appear interested in making a knee-jerk decision after one difficult stretch.
The Lions will now turn their attention to Week 5 and an opportunity to respond. With Detroit sitting at 2-2 and third in the NFC North, Campbell and his staff have plenty of time to correct the problems before the season gets away from them.
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