The Detroit Lions entered Sunday's showdown with the Washington Commanders marred by offensive concerns after averaging just 21.7 points in the last three games. It didn't take long for any worries about the Lions' attack to be squashed, as they led by 15 points at halftime before going on to pick up a 44-22 win at Northwest Stadium.
A glance at the final score may leave someone to assume that offensive coordinator John Morton finally got his act together, but that wasn't the case. Instead, Dan Campbell was seen calling plays to begin Sunday afternoon and he confirmed after the game he took over those responsibilities from Morton following the loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9.
After this eye-opening performance from a unit that was sluggish under Morton's reign, it's safe to say the OC is on track to follow in the footsteps over another polarizing coach in franchise history.
John Morton Is Following in Anthony Lynn's Footsteps After Week 10
The Lions' offense looked the best it has all season, at least since dropping 52 points on the Chicago Bears in Week 2. There's no reason to revert back to Morton calling the brunt of plays after Campbell's genius paved the way to Sunday's win, which likely puts the maligned coordinator on the path towards being the next Anthony Lynn.
Lions fans will (unfortunately) remember Lynn from when he was brought on as the OC during Campbell's inaugural season in 2021. The McKinney, TX native was coming off a four-year run as the Los Angeles Chargers' head coach (33-31), and the hope was that he could help make Campbell's debut campaign as smooth as possible.
Instead, Lynn was more detrimental than helpful. The Lions' attack struggled under his vision, averaging 16.7 points in the first nine games, which forced Campbell to replace Lynn as the offense's play-caller. The unit immediately improved down the stretch to close out the season, averaging 21.9 PPG in the final eight contests, and that included scoring 29-plus points three times after only doing so once in the first half.
The main difference this time around is that Campbell has potentially taken over play-calling duties about two weeks sooner than he did with Lynn. That all but certainly seals Morton's fate, as his inability to make the most of Detroit's embarrassment of riches while throwing players under the bus has finally become too much to overlook.
If the Lions want to bring a Super Bowl title to the Motor City, it's increasingly clear that Morton isn't the man to help. Campbell must take the offense by the reins for the rest of the season if Sunday's performance is any indication of what Detroit's attack can do on a weekly basis with the right man on the headset.
Looking to even next season, it's hard to imagine Morton suddenly getting the play-calling job back when players clearly didn't buy into his scheme and he failed to maximize the Lions' plethora of options.
The Lions have a tough task on deck in the form of a Week 11 Monday Night Football clash with the Philadelphia Eagles. If Campbell is calling the plays and Detroit ends up beating the defending Super Bowl Champions on the road, that could clearly seal Morton's fate.