In 2021, nine games into his first season as head coach of the NFL’s Detroit Lions, Dan Campbell stripped the team’s offensive coordinator of play-calling responsibilities and took charge himself. The Lions didn’t win and even the coordinator acknowledged that he probably would have made the same move.
Four years later, Campbell did it again.
On November 3, nine weeks into the season, Campbell replaced first-year coordinator John Morton, but this time, the change did not appear to be obviously underway.
In five games, the Lions had scored a franchise-record 174 points. By early November, the Lions were 5-3 and had averaged enough points to rank in the top five in the NFL.
Still, Campbell felt a change was needed and the Lions responded with 44 points in a win against Washington, which featured one of the league’s worst defenses.
“Let’s see if a different player can give us a little rhythm? That’s it,” Campbell said of his motivations. “Honestly, it’s nothing more than that.”
However, what is at stake is much more than a simple mid-season change. As the NFL season enters its home stretch, and no team has separated itself as a clear Super Bowl favorite, the Lions, who have never played in a Super Bowl, are one of numerous potential contenders again after two years of entering the postseason as one of the NFC’s top threats, only to fall short.
“I just feel like it’s the right thing to do right now and I’m going to do it,” Campbell said Monday.
Campbell acknowledged that for Morton, “of course he probably doesn’t feel very good, but he’s also a professional and he understands everything.” It also didn’t rule out the possibility of Morton calling plays again, even “maybe sooner, who knows” than in 2026, he told reporters. Morton continues to feed information to Campbell, the coach said, including the opponent’s defensive tendencies. Six coaches had weighed in during a “collaborative effort” in the Week 10 win at Washington, Campbell said.
The shakeup was consistent with the boldness that has marked Campbell’s tenure in Detroit, from provocative quotes in his inaugural news conference to the team’s annual placement among the offenses most likely to make it on fourth down. Still, it was surprising because, on the one hand, Goff and Morton had overlapped before in Detroit, in 2022, and the comfort the quarterback had built with the coordinator was “extremely important” to Goff, he said earlier this season.
However, since Detroit’s flashy first offensive month, its offense had begun to gain fewer yards and more signs of concern. After being eliminated just 25 times in 17 games all of last season, the Lions had done so 20 times in the first eight games of this season, the team’s own website noted. Although wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown’s seven touchdowns ranked second in the league, their dual-threat rushing attack of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs had been limited to 65 combined rushing yards during a Week 9 loss. Since averaging 34.8 points over their first five games, Detroit had scored nearly two fewer touchdowns in their next three games.
The learning curve of the plays, Campbell said, is taking on a “feel” that can only be gained through experience, which was part of the reason he said he would continue to rely heavily on Morton.
“Knowing when to go and when to pull and push and pull and push and pull and, to be honest, that’s one of his best traits as a leader,” Goff said. “And not crossing the lead and the play decisions, but knowing when the shot (downfield) feels right and when the run feels right, and when to change the run and do that, it’s really difficult. It’s a lot of feel. You can’t really teach it, you can’t really learn it and he did a great job with that.”
It was Campbell’s first big decision, one that could determine Detroit’s Super Bowl aspirations.
What we are waiting for in Week 11
Commanders (3-7) vs. Dolphins (3-7)in Madrid, Spain: Washington’s defense (28.0 points allowed per game this season) has contributed to four consecutive losses of at least 20 points. If that losing streak of 20+ points extends to five, it will tie the 1986 Buccaneers for the longest streak in NFL history.
Panthers (5-5) vs. Falcons (3-6): Carolina, which beat Atlanta in Week 3, hasn’t swept the Falcons in a season since 2013. Atlanta has lost four straight games in its division.
Buccaneers (6-3) vs. Bills (6-3): Last week was the first time Buffalo, which leads the NFL with 153 rushing yards per game, didn’t gain at least 100 on the ground. The common thread in all three Bills’ losses has been turnovers, with quarterback Josh Allen committing multiple turnovers in each loss.
Texans (4-5) against Titans (1-8): The Titans have been outscored by a league-worst 127 points, but would have to be outscored by an average margin of 20 points per game the rest of the season to tie the NFL record.
Bears (6-3) vs. Vikings (4-5): Four fourth-quarter comebacks have turned Chicago’s season around, but the franchise has more work to do before its playoff race becomes real. The Bears are 1-8 against their division since 2023, including 0-2 this season.
Packers (5-3-1) against Giants (2-8): The Giants’ 79 penalties do not lead the league, a distinction earned by Jacksonville and Denver, both with 83.
Bengals (3-6) at Steelers (5-4): It bodes well that this is a day game for the Steelers, who are 0-3 at night. Cincinnati’s DJ Turner leads the league with 14 passes defensed. The bad news for the Bengals is that their 109 missed tackles lead the league by 28.
Chargers (7-3) against Jaguares (5-4): Los Angeles has run a league-high 660 plays, 165 more than 32nd-place Pittsburgh, and 46 percent of its drives end in a touchdown, the fifth-best mark in the NFL.
Seahawks (7-2) vs. Rams (7-2): Good things happen when these quarterbacks drop back to pass. The Rams’ Matthew Stafford (8.2 percent) and Seattle’s Sam Darnold (7.5 percent) rank second and third in percentage of passes that become touchdowns. And Darnold (league-high 9.24 yards) and Stafford (7.22) rank in the top five in net yards gained per pass attempt, which influences yards lost on sacks.
49ers (6-4) against Cardinals (3-6): Arizona is 0-3 against NFC West opponents and is 1-6 in its last seven games overall.
Ravens (4-5) vs. Browns (2-7): Myles Garrett’s 17 tackles for loss lead the NFL. That figure includes 11 sacks, which ties him with the Giants’ Brian Burns for the league lead.
Chiefs (5-4) vs. Broncos (8-2): Denver is 7-0 playing on real grass this season, by far the best record in the NFL. The grass surface they will play on Sunday is new after being installed at their home just nine days ago.
Leones (6-3) against Águilas (7-2): Philadelphia’s offense hasn’t been pretty, but it hasn’t turned the ball over either. Their seasons end in turnovers 4.4 percent of the time, the lowest percentage in the league (compare the league-worst Dolphins at 16.5 percent). Detroit has lost the fewest tackles in the NFL.
Cowboys (3-5-1) vs. Raiders (2-7): Opponents are converting third downs 52.6 percent of the time against Dallas’ maligned defense, the worst mark in the league. Opponents also score touchdowns nearly 70 percent of the time they enter the red zone against Dallas, the fourth-worst mark in the league.
