Following another disappointing outing, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell chose to make a big move. Just like he did in 2021 with Anthony Lynn, he took over offensive play-calling duties in the middle of the season. This time, with John Morton, he did it much sooner, relieving the offensive coordinator of his duties after just nine games.
The team responded with a 44-point explosion. And while the Washington Commanders' defense has been anything but good this season, it was clear that the players had a different type of energy and wanted to make a statement for their coach. They responded to Campbell in a way that shows just how badly Morton has missed the mark so far.
Lions Players Rave About Dan Campbell Replacing John Morton
Lions quarterback Jared Goff, who completed 25 of 33 passes for 320 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions before being replaced by Kyle Allen for the final drive of the game, had some praise for Campbell's play-calling, according to the Detroit News' Nolan Bianchi:
"QB Jared Goff says Dan Campbell did a "great job" getting plays in, switching up tempo, keeping up with personnel," wrote Bianchi.
Goff had one of his best games of the season with Campbell leading the way. He had his first 300-yard game since Week 2 against the Chicago Bears, and he also had his second-most touchdown passes of the season. Notably, he had nearly 100 yards more than his season average (248.3).
He wasn't the only player who had words of support for his head coach. Jameson Williams, who finally broke out for 119 receiving yards on six receptions, also talked about how "funny" it was to play with a different play-caller:
"Shout-out to Dan and how he controlled the game," Williams said, per NFL.com. "It was kind of funny seeing him with the glasses. ... It's a different look, for sure."
This was a much-needed bounce-back performance for the Lions' speedster. It was his first game with at least 100 receiving yards since Week 2, and he had just his fourth receiving touchdown of the season. He's averaging 52.7 yards per game after signing a big contract extension, so he might benefit the most on the team from a change in play-callers.
Coach Campbell has always preached a winning culture, and he's the type of guy who's going to do whatever it takes to help his team. That means making some tough calls, but that doesn't mean he's going to throw anybody under the bus.
"Listen, John Morton's all team. That's all he cares about. He just wants to win. He wants to be a part of it. He wants to help where he can, and he was outstanding today," Campbell said, per ESPN. "He's a grinder, he's a worker, and he just tries to help and give you anything you can possibly need for the game."
The Lions finished the game with 30 first downs, went 5-for-10 on third down, 2-for-2 on fourth down, and had 546 total yards of offense. They didn't turn the ball over, and had eight scoring drives and no punts. They also scored nearly as many points as they scored in the past two weeks combined (48). And just consider how this game compares to the rest of the season in terms of yards per play:
Game | Opponent | Yards per Play | Points Scored |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Packers | 3.78 | 13 |
2 | Bears | 8.81 | 52 |
3 | Ravens | 6.45 | 38 |
4 | Browns | 4.95 | 34 |
5 | Bengals | 5.98 | 37 |
6 | Chiefs | 5.60 | 17 |
7 | Buccaneers | 5.83 | 24 |
8 | Vikings | 4.92 | 24 |
9 | Commanders | 8.03 | 44 |
That's a one-week turnaround from the team's lowest mark of the season to their second-highest.
And after watching how things went down with Lynn after he was replaced as the play-caller, it's getting hard to believe that Morton will be back as offensive coordinator next season, regardless of how things fare for this team for the remainder of the year.