The Detroit Lions are still trying to figure out what team they are at the midway point of the season. Their 5-3 record entering Week 10 says they’re a contender in the NFC. But their issues on offense suggest there is some meat on the bone preventing them from being a championship-caliber team.
The Lions’ offense has come under fire the past week after the Lions were upset by the Minnesota Vikings last week. Issues such as Jahmyr Gibbs overexposure in pass protection and deficiencies in the middle of the offensive line proved costly for Detroit in that game, and the heat has fallen on first-year offensive coordinator John Morton.
While Dan Campbell has been in his ear about changes he would like to see going forward, Morton is also starting to hear it from players. That includes star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who was the latest to throw fuel on the fire that has been stoking Morton’s hot seat over the past week and could get hotter with a lackluster performance against the Washington Commanders.
“For us as an offense, the word that sticks out to me is flow,” Amon-Ra St. Brown told Will Burchfield of 97.1 The Ticket. “I feel like we haven’t been in a flow all year. There’s been a few games where we were in a flow, like the Bears, the Ravens. But I just feel like that’s been missing…rhythm, execution, as a whole.”
John Morton’s Hot Seat Could Get Warmer with Lackluster Showing vs. Commanders
Morton had an unenviable task of taking over for Ben Johnson after the latter’s departure to become head coach of the Chicago Bears, but he has done well, judging by the overall numbers. Detroit’s offense ranks seventh with 5.8 yards per play and second with 29.9 points per game entering Sunday’s game in Washington, but St. Brown is part of a growing chorus that feels like they’ve been running with a flat tire.
When David Montgomery received just four carries in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 12, it was Campbell who got in Morton’s ear to fix the problem. The Lions' third-down struggles have also been a topic of conversation as Detroit ranks 25th with a 36.3% conversion rate this season and 5-for-17 (29.4%) performance in the loss to the Vikings.
With Jameson Williams’ ongoing struggle to get targets in Morton’s offense, he’s had a lot of people knocking on his door in the past few weeks. It’s quite the shift from when Johnson was in control, who utilized some creative playcalling to field one of the best offenses in the league but never strayed away from the things that made the unit run smoothly.
If Morton can find that stride against the Commanders on Sunday, there’s a chance his suggestion box may not be as full on Monday morning. But until things get figured out, comments from St. Brown and other notable players on the Lions may be the norm.