For the second time in as many years, the Detroit Lions are in the market for a new offensive coordinator.

The team announced Tuesday evening it’s planning to part ways with John Morton, who was hired last offseason, lost his play-calling duties halfway through the year, and wasn’t retained at season’s end.

After the Lions‘ offensive dysfunction (as well as a really bad defense) contributed to missing the playoffs, the stakes for Dan Campbell’s next hire could not be higher. While OC Ben Johnson was a massive hit, Campbell’s other two hires, Morton and Anthony Lynn, were flops.

Let’s take a look at some potential candidates for the Lions’ vacant OC job.

Todd Monken, former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator

Ravens coach John Harbaugh was fired on Tuesday after 18 seasons, likely leaving Monken without a job. The Athletic reported on Tuesday night that part of the reason for Harbaugh’s dismissal was his unwillingness to let Monken go. Monken was the OC for the last three seasons, when Baltimore’s offense was consistently one of the most explosive in the league — albeit with a much different quarterback than Detroit in the speedy, shifty Lamar Jackson.

The Ravens had a top-two rushing offense in all three seasons under Monken and finished No. 1 in total offense in 2024. Monken, 59, has further experience as an OC with the Georgia Bulldogs (2020-22) — with whom he was a two-time national champion — the Cleveland Browns (2019), and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2018).

The one thing Monken’s candidacy lacks is a connection to Campbell, which, in this process, matters a lot. But given the desperation to get things back on track, perhaps his ample play-calling experience will lessen that concern.

Zac Robinson, Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator

Robinson’s future is in flux after Atlanta cut ties with general manager Terry Fontenot and coach Raheem Morris on Sunday night. He spent two seasons with the Falcons, overseeing a unit that finished sixth and 14th in total offense while being hampered by a quarterback controversy featuring a late-30s Kirk Cousins coming off a torn Achilles and 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr.

Robinson, 39, doesn’t have a prior working relationship with Campbell, but he does have one with quarterback Jared Goff, which could help bridge that gap. Robinson overlapped with Goff in the Los Angeles Rams organization for two seasons (2019-20), including one as an assistant quarterbacks coach. Robinson spent five total seasons in L.A. under coach Sean McVay, including two as the passing game coordinator and head quarterbacks coach.

During his playing career as a quarterback, Robinson spent half the 2010 season with the Lions but never saw a snap.

Brian Daboll, former New York Giants head coach

Daboll, a former Michigan State grad assistant (1998-99), won five Super Bowls over two stints as an assistant with the New England Patriots (2000-06, 2013-16). He also won a national championship with Nick Saban as Alabama’s OC and quarterbacks coach (2017) before landing a job with the Buffalo Bills (2018-21) as an OC, where he was credited with helping kickstart quarterback Josh Allen’s career.

His candidacy doesn’t suffer from a lack of familiarity. Daboll, 50, interviewed Campbell for his first full-time NFL coaching gig with the Miami Dolphins in 2011, which resulted in a classic Campbell story about the Lions coach slamming chairs and hitting walls in hopes of landing the job. It is, however, hurt by questions about the culture he established during his time as Giants coach (2022-25). He was fired in November after posting a 20-40-1 record.

David Blough, Washington Commanders assistant quarterbacks coach

Blough, a former quarterback, spent two stints with the Lions after going undrafted out of Purdue in 2019 and has had a quick rise in the coaching profession since retiring in 2023. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday night, just hours after Morton was let go, that Blough was on Detroit’s radar.

He’s one of the more inexperienced options on the list, with no play-calling experience on his resume. His only two seasons in coaching have come as an assistant quarterbacks coach for the Commanders, and at just 30 years old, he’s a year younger than Goff. But his first season as a coach was spent working with the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year, quarterback Jayden Daniels, and his one season with Goff in Detroit as a player (2021) likely established a good baseline for their potential working relationship.

Declan Doyle, Chicago Bears offensive coordinator

Doyle, 30, is one of the hottest young names in the coaching profession. After beginning his coaching career as a student assistant at Iowa, he was hired by Payton in 2019 to be an offensive assistant in New Orleans (2019-22), where he overlapped with Campbell for two seasons.

Doyle rejoined Payton as a tight ends coach in Denver for the 2023 and 2024 seasons and got his big break this past offseason when Ben Johnson took a chance on him as the new OC in Chicago. He wasn’t in a play-calling role, so if the Lions intend to have Doyle do that, they’d be able to poach him without issue. But like Blough, calling plays is something he’s never done before, so it’d be a bit of a gamble.

Pete Carmichael, Denver Broncos senior offensive assistant

Given some of Carmichael’s parallels to Morton — both in their mid-50s, both connections from back in the Saints days, both most recently worked in Denver under Sean Payton — I don’t know if Carmichael’s hiring would satisfy the fanbase, but one thing Carmichael has that Morton didn’t is 15 years’ worth of OC experience in New Orleans (2009-2023). Which kind of counts for a whole lot.

For the most part, Carmichael, 54, didn’t call plays in New Orleans until after Payton was gone, so he’s not a flawless candidate. But he’s certainly experienced in the role at large, which could help him get on the same page with Campbell quickly.

Thomas Brown, New England Patriots passing game coordinator and tight ends coach

A few years ago, Brown was thought of as one of the league’s top up-and-coming offensive minds. After three seasons with the Rams as an assistant head coach and position coach (2020-22), one of which overlapped with Goff, he became the Carolina Panthers’ OC in 2023. He was named the league’s No. 2 OC in an NFL Players Association survey, but left during a regime change the following offseason.

He worked with Caleb Williams as the Bears’ passing game coordinator in 2024 and was promoted to OC and interim head coach as Chicago cleaned house midseason. This past season, Brown, 39, worked as the passing game coordinator for a revitalized Patriots offense featuring quarterback Drake Maye playing at an MVP level.

Kliff Kingsbury, former Washington Commanders offensive coordinator

Kingsbury, one of the few candidates on this list with head coaching experience, went through the highest of highs and lowest of lows over his two seasons with the Commanders, who are letting him go after a disappointing 5-12 season. Kingsbury called the offense that led Washington to an NFC Championship appearance and Daniels to the 2024 Rookie of the Year, but the offense fell apart in 2025 as Daniels was plagued by injuries.

Kingsbury, 46, doesn’t really seem like a match for Detroit on the surface. Not only is he missing a connection to Campbell, but he runs an Air Raid offense and most of his notable successes — Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, and Daniels — have been mobile quarterbacks. Still, he has a ton of play-calling reps under his belt and could be a high-ceiling option.

Internal candidates

Hank Fraley, Lions offensive line coach

Fraley has been with the Lions since 2018, when he joined the staff of then-OC Jim Bob Cooter as an assistant offensive line coach. After he became the head position coach in 2020, the Lions’ offensive line gained a reputation as one of the best in the league, with players like Penei Sewell, Frank Ragnow and Taylor Decker reaching All-Pro and Pro Bowl levels.

Fraley, 48, interviewed for the Seattle Seahawks’ vacant OC job last offseason, but wound up returning to Detroit, where he had the title of run game coordinator added to his plate. One could argue his resume was stronger a season ago; following Ragnow’s retirement, the Lions’ offensive line was their most inconsistent unit, and Detroit’s run game took a significant step back. Still, Fraley is a highly respected coach who could soon earn a bigger role.

Scottie Montgomery, Lions wide receivers/assistant head coach

Montgomery has coached running backs and wide receivers for the Lions, and while it certainly helps that each unit is packed with talent, both reached a consistent level of excellence under his tutelage. The rushing tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery was elite in 2023 and 2024; as the wide receivers coach this past season, he led a unit that featured two receivers who finished in the top nine in receiving yards.

Montgomery, 47, has been an offensive coordinator at two of his college jobs, Duke (2013-15) and Maryland (2019-20). In between, he served as the head coach at East Carolina (2013-15). Montgomery is a sharp, detail-oriented coach who could help refine Detroit’s attention to detail, which was sorely lacking in 2025.

In the wake of a disappointing end to the 2025 season, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell has been consistent about two things when it comes to this upcoming offseason:

Changes are coming and he will be looking at everything.

Where are those changes most likely to occur? More importantly, how can the Lions (8-8) get back into the playoffs in 2026? Here’s a look at the three biggest issues facing the Lions entering the offseason, and how they can overcome them to become a contender once again.

Fix the offensive line

The Lions always expected to lose offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn at some point. They did not expect to lose All-Pro center Frank Ragnow to sudden retirement when they did, and the lack of preparedness to tackle that scenario would hang over the entire season like a dark cloud.

Detroit’s run game was consistently inconsistent. The Lions ran for under 100 yards in seven of 16 games — they had just eight such instances over the last three seasons combined — and lost all seven of those contests. While the pass protection was nothing to write home about for most of the season, the Lions’ deficiencies on the ground robbed them of their identity, which left them up creek without a paddle when adversity struck in the back half of the season. As the Lions’ season fell apart, their offense merely tried to hold on for dear life to make up for a subpar defense, rather than dictate the terms of engagement, as we’ve grown accustomed to seeing.

“It’s always been a big emphasis every single week, the run game and trying to get it going,” Lions offensive coordinator John Morton said this week. “And sometimes you get behind the eight ball, and you’ve got to throw it, and sometimes you don’t get the right looks, and sometimes we just aren’t executing. We all have our hand in all of this, so it’s just a little bit of everything. It’s frustrating.”

This can partially be attributed to a lack of detail throughout the entire offense — more on that later — but generally speaking, the absence of Ragnow was the critical factor in Detroit’s shortcomings. He retired after the draft and most prime free-agent windows, when other teams had already settled their rosters, which forced the Lions to play a past-his-prime Graham Glasgow at the position.

If the Lions want to take a legitimate swing at solving these problems for 2026, general manager Brad Holmes will have to get aggressive in luring in a veteran center to take over the role. Before Detroit’s season finale at Chicago, Campbell was asked how critical it is to get the run game back on track next season: “It’s everything,” he said. “It’s everything.”

Setting aside the on-field results of last season, there’s even more urgency this upcoming offseason: Glasgow, and potentially reliable left tackle Taylor Decker, seem to be inching toward retirement.

It’s always possible that Holmes seeks a solution through the draft, and the Lions should absolutely exhaust those options. But given their insistent stance against drafting for need, it doesn’t seem likely that’s a position they’ll put themselves in. Several interesting options are set to become free agents this offseason, such as Baltimore’s Tyler Linderbaum and Buffalo’s Connor McGovern. But if the Lions can’t reel in one of the big fish — it seems unlikely that either player will be allowed to walk to free agency — Holmes will have to look at the trade market.

Given how open Decker has been about his potential retirement, I don’t think the Lions will be unprepared to attack his departure. But they don’t currently have anybody on the roster that you’d feel comfortable with tabbing as a starter going into the offseason — former fourth-round pick Giovanni Manu has not shown enough to be in that conversation yet — so they’ll probably have to make a significant effort to bring in a veteran there, as well.

No matter what happens with the veteran acquisition process, the Lions will have to begin restocking the offensive line cupboard with higher-floor pieces than they currently have on the roster. Tate Ratledge and right tackle Penei Sewell are the only linemen to be picked by Holmes before Day 3 of the draft.

Of course, player acquisition is never easy. But Holmes has mostly done a good job of bringing in the right veterans to supplement his roster over the years, and solving that problem this offseason is still a fairly realistic outcome.

Refresh the defense

The Lions’ defense completely fell apart at the hands of explosive plays down the final stretch of the season. Injuries to the Lions’ secondary didn’t help, especially when one of those players (Kerby Joseph) is one of the most feared middle-field coverage defenders in the league, and the other (Brian Branch) is a Swiss Army Knife whose location must be identified before every play. Detroit has allowed 56 pass plays of 20-plus yards this season, fourth-most in the league entering Week 18.

That said, the Lions actually got decent play from reserves such as Thomas Harper and Avonte Maddox — plus a healthy front seven — so not all the blame falls on attrition.

Of the 11 highest-paid pending free agents on the Lions’ roster, 10 of them are defensive players, and six of them play on the defensive line. Three of those defensive linemen — Josh Paschal, Marcus Davenport and Levi Onwuzurike — were injury-prone gambles that didn’t work out.

Though defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said he “doesn’t see drastic change” coming to the scheme, the impending turnover should help the Lions reimagine how they want this to look.

And no matter what the sack numbers say, the Lions need help affecting the quarterback. Detroit has the fifth-slowest time to pressure (2.86 seconds) in the NFL, and it was painfully obvious as one quarterback after another — a group that includes Giants third-stringer Jameis Winston — tore up the Lions’ defense.

It’s expected that Tyleik Williams and Alim McNeill will be the starting defensive tackles next season, meaning the signings there will largely be for depth. The Lions would surely like to bring back edge defender Al-Quadin Muhammad, who has 11 sacks, but he might’ve priced himself out of a return, especially considering that Detroit did not trust him against the run. There will still be a need for a starting defensive end to play opposite Aidan Hutchinson, which could be solved via a strong draft class at that position.

In the secondary, Detroit’s biggest offseason hurdle will be seeing through the cloudy injury statuses that dim the group’s future. Branch’s Achilles injury could cost him significant time next season, and Joseph couldn’t deliver a positive update on the status of his knee injury when asked earlier this season, saying, “You don’t fix it. Just keep the faith.”

The Lions invested heavily in cornerback D.J. Reed last offseason (three years, $48 million) and likely won’t be making any major moves with him, after he appeared to be limited by his hamstring injury after coming off of injured reserve. Their other starting cornerback, Terrion Arnold, ended the season on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, but he showed positive strides before being placed on the shelf.

In an ideal world, former second-round pick Ennis Rakestraw could take over the starting nickel cornerback job next season, allowing Detroit to shed some salary by letting Amik Robertson walk in free agency. But with Rakestraw unable to stay healthy for the second year in a row and Branch’s outlook uncertain, Detroit will probably look into bringing Robertson back to compete for the starting nickel job.

All of this is to say that the Lions’ best chance at fixing the defense starts up front, where they’ll have ample opportunity to reshape what this team looks like.

Find a new offensive play caller

While both of the Lions’ new coordinators struggled at various points this season, it seems likely that Sheppard’s job is safer than Morton’s. Sheppard’s personnel and scheme was inherited, and Campbell has invested a lot into his development as a coach. Plus, as a more offensive-minded coach, Campbell could be slower to make sweeping changes on the defensive side of the ball. And then there’s the tangible act of Morton actually having play-calling duties taken away from him at the season’s midway point.

Campbell said the primary reason for taking over play-calling was that Morton wasn’t able to bring his vision to life, but there was a Johnson press conference answer that went viral this week and was a good reminder of what else Detroit was missing offensively: Accountability. Asked about a red-zone sequence gone wrong, Johnson immediately took responsibility for how things ended.

“That field-goal drive, once we got in the red zone, I wasn’t very happy with how I called that,” Johnson said, putting the failure squarely on his own shoulders.

This was something Morton never did. Now, there were probably plenty of times where something that went wrong was actually the fault of the players and their execution. But the fact that the offensive coordinator is constantly pointing that out publicly instead of offering any sort of self-reflection probably didn’t sit well with players who’ve played in prolific offenses over the last few years.

Not to mention, a lack of thoughtfulness regarding the problems probably made it difficult to actually solve them. If and when the Lions move on from Morton, the next candidate should have two main qualities: Accountability and attention to detail.

Until the coaching carousel starts to spin next week, we won’t have much clarity on the options for a potential Morton replacement. Campbell essentially has two options for how he’ll proceed: He can either try to find another play-calling coordinator so that he can continue to focus on the bigger-picture in-game duties, or lean into being a play-calling head coach and supplement his staff to make up for the game management aspects.

Judging by how reluctant he’s been to do the play-calling, it seems like a safe bet that Campbell will try to bring in another play-caller. But on the flip side, two of Campbell’s three offensive-coordinator hires have been legitimate disasters, so not only is there a concern that he’ll get the next hire right, but there’s also the worry that any quality hire will eventually be poached as a head coach, starting the process over again. Becoming a play-calling head coach could give Detroit the best chance at long-term stability.

ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions are taking a wait-and-see approach to a knee injury suffered by receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in Sunday’s 29-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

St. Brown, who was listed Monday as a non-participant on the team’s estimated practice report, was not known to have an injury as Sunday’s game ended. Lions coach Dan Campbell said he’s unsure if the injury is serious.

“We’ll know more a little bit later. This is just something that just popped up when he came in today, so hopeful this is just some type of irritation from the game,” Campbell said Monday. “That’s what I’m hoping. But I’ll know more tonight.”

St. Brown caught four passes for 54 yards in Detroit’s loss to Pittsburgh and was in the game until the very end. He caught a would-be go-ahead touchdown pass that was nullified by an offensive pass interference penalty on Isaac TeSlaa, then caught a pass on the final play of the game, which he lateraled to Jared Goff for a would-be score as time expired. St. Brown was called for offensive pass interference on his route, and the game ended quickly after officials sorted it out.

St. Brown has tallied 98 catches for 1,194 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.

Practice report

The Lions provided an estimated practice report on the first day of this week’s practices before Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.

St. Brown, defensive back Avonte Maddox (back) and offensive tackle Taylor Decker (shoulder) were all non-participants.

The Lions had nine players limited: offensive linemen Trystan Colon (wrist), Graham Glasgow (knee), Christian Mahogany (fibula) and Giovanni Manu (knee); defensive linemen Marcus Davenport (shoulder), Alim McNeill (abdomen) and Al-Quadin Muhammad (knee); wide receiver Tom Kennedy (abdomen) and cornerback Amik Robertson (hand).

DETROIT — Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard stood at the podium last Thursday and, for the umpteenth time this season, tried to distort reality.

The question was about how the Los Angeles Rams’ rushing offense ran buck wild on the Lions in a loss on Dec. 14. And, as he’s done at many points throughout this disappointing campaign, Sheppard pointed out that the Lions’ overall performance wouldn’t have been that bad if you take out all of the biggest plays that went against them.

“You can’t play this game of taking plays away, but nobody — and I can stand on the table behind this — nobody has just lined up and ran the ball down our throats,” Sheppard said.

Then, with the league’s 28th-ranked rushing offense, the Pittsburgh Steelers ran the ball down the Lions’ throats in Sunday’s 29-24 loss. It was the Steelers’ most rushing yards (230) since 2016 and the most allowed by the Lions since 2022. In the home finale. With the season on the line.

The Lions (8-7) are now on the verge of being eliminated from playoff contention with two games remaining — one Detroit loss or one Green Bay Packers win will officially end it. But whether they make the postseason does not change the notion that failure to confront reality has been the one ugly wart on this team’s face all season, and the primary reason why it’s fair to doubt the strength of the culture that has built this team.

After three and four seasons with coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, respectively, this year was always going to present its challenges. But after failing to keep the ship aimed in the right direction, this upcoming offseason feels even more critical.

Lions coach Dan Campbell opted to go with guys he trusted during a critical offseason, hiring an in-house, first-time defensive coordinator in Sheppard and hiring a second-time offensive coordinator in John Morton. Morton had his play-calling duties stripped in Week 10, and Sheppard’s defense has been one of the league’s worst over the last month.

Morton passed the buck amid struggles, while Sheppard downplayed concerns about his unit until they eventually became so glaring that it forced the Lions to drive right off the road.

In a long line of concerning trends that have emerged over the last year, chief among them is the coaching staff’s willingness to make excuses or bend reality to make things seem different from what they truly are, and it started in Week 1. In Sheppard’s opening statement after the Green Bay game, he said that if you took out a 48-yard completion and a 17-yard touchdown pass on back-to-back plays, the Lions’ performance was actually quite good.

“I’m not a math major but I believe that’s 65 yards. You take that off of (185), you’re looking at 120 yards passing on the day,” Sheppard said.

And in that specific context, maybe he wasn’t entirely wrong. The Lions’ defense held running back Josh Jacobs to 3.5 yards per carry, an impressive mark, and kept quarterback Jordan Love under 200 passing yards. But as the Lions’ defense started to show genuinely concerning trends down the stretch, this messaging never wavered.

Sheppard will tell you he won’t make excuses. He’ll tell you things are being addressed. But he’ll also, with a high degree of regularity, tell you that the biggest concerns stemming from a game are overblown, and that the stats make the performance look worse than it actually was. And now, over the last five games, the Lions are allowing 458.6 yards per game. For context, the Cincinnati Bengals have allowed the most yards per game this season at 402.8.

There’s no way to contort this one: Over the most important stretch of the season, the Lions’ defense has been the worst in the league.

And sure, they’ve got injuries. The team didn’t have All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph (knee) for more than half the season, just lost Pro Bowl safety Brian Branch (Achilles) and cornerback Terrion Arnold (shoulder) for the year, and cornerback D.J. Reed hasn’t looked the same since coming back from his hamstring injury.

As the Lions withstood countless defensive injuries en route to a 15-2 record last season, it was easy to understand why. They didn’t make excuses. If anything, it was a mere extension of the gritty mentality that had come to define the Lions’ identity under Campbell. They seemed to thrive on finding a way.

But outside of Levi Onwuzurike and Josh Paschal, neither of whom suited up this season, this front seven is completely healthy. There is absolutely no way to square how a defense with this much talent has so consistently come up short in the biggest moments.

Inherited issue

Now, if I can momentarily come to Sheppard’s defense: This is a defense that he inherited, and over the four years that Glenn was in charge, there were very few stretches where the Lions’ defense actually looked much better than what we’ve seen from this year’s unit. Sheppard is running the scheme Campbell wants him to, which Glenn ran before him, with the players already in place before Sheppard was promoted this past offseason.

I’ll actually tip my cap to Sheppard for being a little more flexible than Glenn on a week-to-week level. With their passing defense in shambles, Sheppard called zone coverage on a season-high 82.2% of passing plays. It just didn’t produce a winning level of defense. And really, Sheppard is just one of many culprits; the flavor of the week after a bold proclamation blew up in his face.

Campbell hasn’t made excuses for the team’s play, but his blind optimism that everything would work itself out, that all of the adversity they faced in the back half of the season would only prepare them for a Super Bowl run, that he could hire a longtime coach with very little actual play-calling experience and continue operating the best offense in the league, hurt his team.

I see the vision, even in hindsight, with Morton. If all had gone well, they would’ve had a play-calling offensive coordinator for potentially years to come. I can buy the argument that it’s a better option than continuing to develop new, young play-callers who will inevitably leave for better opportunities.

But it ultimately blew up in Detroit’s face. Morton couldn’t hack it, and by Week 10, when he’d lost his play-calling duties, he’d pointed the finger more times than one can count. Over and over, Morton would say everything with the scheme was fine; players simply needed to win their one-on-ones.

Here’s the third sentence of Morton’s opening statement after Week 1, when the Lions sputtered their way to six points before a miraculous one-handed touchdown catch by Isaac TeSlaa tightened the score in a 27-13 loss: “The bottom line is, this is about execution and the details of everything.”

Three questions in, he was asked if there’s anything that can be done to help attention to detail for an offensive line with two first-time starters and a 33-year-old center who was changing positions for the third straight season.

“Look, we’re running plays that these guys have done,” Morton said at the time. “Now, there’s some new guys in there, but the bottom line is, you’ve got to go execute and we didn’t do that every single play. We just didn’t.”

Following a shocking 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings — which, if won, would have put the Lions just a half-game out of the playoffs in the present day — he was asked what the worst part was of watching the Minnesota film.

Jahmyr Gibbs was dominated in pass protection down-in, down-out, by the Vikings’ “cross-dog blitz,” as the Vikings’ front seven made life hell for the Lions’ offense that also couldn’t get the run game going. Gibbs was held to 25 rushing yards on nine carries.

Here’s Morton on the run game: “I mean we had things for it, we had chances. Again, I’m going back, ‘Oh, one guy didn’t do that. Nope, we didn’t get it and it could’ve been big.’ I mean you guys watch the game and when you watch it in detail and everything, ‘Man, if he would’ve got that. Oh, if we would’ve done this.’ That’s the biggest thing.

“We had a good scheme.”

I’m in the camp that Campbell’s play-calling helped the offense, even as they’ve continued to put up subpar rushing performances in the second half of the season, but it’s clear he didn’t have the structure in place to handle the game-management aspects of his job.

Against the Rams last week, Campbell wasted one of his challenges on a 1-yard difference in ball placement on a play where L.A. had blown past the first-down marker. Not only was he not allowed to challenge the play, costing him one of his two challenges and a timeout, but even if it had been a challengeable play, I can’t wrap my head around why he’d take such a risk for a measly yard.

These little missteps have occurred on a seemingly weekly basis, and you can point to several of them as major inflection points in losses.

Against Pittsburgh on Sunday, the Lions were forced to burn one of their second-half timeouts when they only had 10 players on the field before a fourth-and-2. That timeout would’ve come in handy on the final drive, when the Lions were operating with just one timeout while trying to punch in the go-ahead score.

In a pivotal Thanksgiving clash with Green Bay, the Lions had 10 players on the field before Green Bay’s first third-down attempt of the game, as they were gashed for an explosive run. Then, later in that contest, the Lions’ defense was flagged in the red zone for having 12 players on the field.

Ultimately, Campbell is the captain of this ship and is responsible for the lack of attention to detail on both sides of the ball. And the Lions’ attention to detail has plainly been terrible.

Not enough contributors

Lastly, we have Lions general manager Brad Holmes. With Arnold’s season-ending injury, the Lions are getting zero offensive or defensive contributions from any 2024 draft pick besides left guard Christian Mahogany, who was the offensive line’s lowest-graded run and pass blocker, per PFF, in his return to action on Sunday.

Of the 21 players drafted since 2023, seven of them are giving the team regular offensive or defensive contributions. Four of those players are rookies, and one of those rookies is Miles Frazier, who’s a reserve player in a unique guard rotation.

Sure, injuries heavily impact these numbers. But I can’t help but notice that for a guy who preaches depth, Holmes has no problem giving up bites at the apple to get his guys. Now, as the Lions suddenly have long-term concerns at multiple positions, the Lions are short a third-round pick after trading three of them to move up for TeSlaa, and have gotten extremely little from their most recent classes.

The Packers have also dealt with injuries to players from recent draft classes, including their own third-year tight end, Tucker Kraft, who’s been lost for the season with an ACL. But they drafted 24 players in 2023 and 2024 alone, and as some have fallen by the wayside due to injury, plenty more have stepped up. Outside of the injuries, Green Bay is getting regular contributions from more than a dozen players from those classes alone.

Culture crumbling

It should be noted that everything the Lions achieved in 2023 and 2024 was because of Campbell and Holmes. Yet, the culture they’ve built seems to be falling apart at the seams as the Lions’ season goes with it.

The occasional early playoff exit is certainly understandable, if not expected. This is a league built on parity. But a completely lost season in which most of your best players are in the prime of their careers is a legitimate travesty when you consider how talented this roster is.

Again, the Lions could very well shock the world and make the playoffs. But the simple fact of the matter is that they have a .400 winning percentage over their last 10 games. Every move they’ve made has been to become a sustainable contender, but somewhere in that pursuit, they forgot to be a contender in the here and now.

And yeah, you could talk about the injuries, or the calls that have gone against Detroit in its losses, or the tough schedule and division, but those would be excuses.

Right now, the Lions — from the top down — need a heavy dose of honesty and reflection.

DETROIT — A season-altering loss by the Detroit Lions ended in controversy.

The Lions appeared to score a go-ahead touchdown twice in the final 25 seconds of Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers but saw both scores nullified by offensive pass interference penalties, including one on fourth down as time expired that featured a lateral to Lions quarterback Jared Goff.

Detroit’s furious comeback attempt, which twice saw them close the deficit in a two-score game, came up just short in a 29-24 loss. With 25 seconds left in the game, Goff rolled right and completed an easy touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who was deemed by officials to have gotten open because of a pick run by wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa.

“The reporting official on that play told me that the offending player picked one of the defenders, creating an opportunity for the offensive player to make the catch,” referee Carl Cheffers said in a PFWA pool report.

Goff called the offensive pass interference penalty on TeSlaa “a bad call.”

“The one where Saint caught it and we thought it was a touchdown, that’s, in my opinion, a bad call,” Goff said. “But listen, man. [The officials] have a tough job and they make calls that go our way all the time, but that one in particular, [TeSlaa] should not hang his head about.”

Then, on fourth-and-goal from the 9 with 8 seconds left, Goff completed a pass to St. Brown, who pitched the ball to Goff right before going to the ground. Goff then leaped into the end zone for a score, but a penalty flag unceremoniously ended the party.

After several minutes of conversation, officials said that the call on the field was a touchdown, but it was nullified by a penalty for offensive pass interference. Since time had expired, the Lions did not have the opportunity to run another play, thus ending the game — and potentially, the season.

“The official who called the foul said that the receiver created separation that gave him an advantage in catching the pass. So, he called pass interference,” Cheffers said. Asked why the on-field conversation took so long, Cheffers added, “It was a pretty complex play.”

“We had the original player who had the ball, lose possession of the ball. So, we had to decide if that was a fumble or a backwards pass because of course we have restrictions on the recovery of a fumble inside of two minutes,” Cheffers said. “We ruled that it was a backward pass, so the recovering player was able to advance it and that recovering player advanced it for a touchdown. We had to rule on that and then because of the offensive pass interference, it negates the touchdown.

“Because it is an offensive foul, we do not extend the half. Therefore, there is no score and there is no replay of the down. That’s the way the rule is written.”

St. Brown, several other Lions players, and head coach Dan Campbell all said that the game came down to more than one or two plays.

“I don’t even want to get into it, because it’s not gonna change anything. We still lost,” Campbell said.

St. brown added, “The call, it is what it is. Those are the rules, can’t change them. It never comes down to one play. It’s never just because of that play. There was plenty of plays throughout that game that we could’ve made. We had calls go our way, too, throughout that last drive, so it goes both ways. We just have to execute better. We have a job to do, the refs have a job to do. We’ve just got to do better.”

Regarding the way Detroit lost, Lions offensive tackle Taylor Decker said, “Ultimately, yeah, it sucks.”

“There’s no sugarcoating it,” Decker said. “We had so many opportunities earlier in the game. Games come down to two-minute drives in the league, but we put ourselves in that position. We did not play well enough, but we still had a chance to win. That’s the frustrating thing, is that we put ourselves in that position and it didn’t have to be that way.”

As St. Brown pointed out, the Lions benefitted from a fourth-down defensive pass interference call against the Steelers earlier in the drive.

“I think we had a PI on them. Jamo did, going down that drive. We got a call, they got a call. If we don’t get that PI on Jamo, that drive is over. So, some might say that,” St. Brown said. “At the end of the day, like I said, the refs have a job to do and they’re trying their best to do it. We have a job to do out there as players and go make plays. Like I said, we didn’t make enough plays today.”

Still, the shock in Detroit’s locker room was clear. Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who had two sacks, said that he’s “never seen two offensive [pass interference calls] to lose a game like that.”

“I don’t know. I’m sure there will be a discussion between the NFL (about) this game to validate or deny the calls,” Hutchinson continued. “It sucks cause there’s no changing it. I can bitch here all I want about the call, but the fact is, it’s the result.”

The Lions had several paths to the playoffs entering Sunday, but following their loss to Pittsburgh, they now have just one: Detroit needs to win its last two games at Minnesota and Chicago and have Green Bay lose its last two games against Baltimore and Minnesota.

Takeaways from disastrous defensive effort that sinks Lions in 29-24 loss to Steelers

 

Last-play TD nullified; loss to Steelers puts staggering Lions on thinnest ice for making playoffs

 

Photo gallery from Lions hosting the Steelers at Ford Field

 

Lions grades: Must-win game against Steelers was lost in the trenches

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions’ season isn’t all the way dead just yet.

But following a 29-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field on Sunday, the Lions’ only remaining path to the playoffs is a massive long shot: Detroit (8-7) would have to win its last two games against the Vikings and Bears, and Green Bay needs to lose its final two games against the Ravens and Vikings.

The Lions’ offense was an unmitigated disaster in the biggest game of the season, and the Lions’ defense couldn’t get a stop when the team needed it most. Detroit was gashed on the ground for 8.5 yards per carry and gave up three touchdowns of exactly 45 yards, including two 45-yard runs by Steelers running back Jaylen Warren.

The Steelers (9-6) tried to let the Lions back in it, as kicker Chris Boswell missed a 37-yard field goal in a 29-24 game to give Detroit the ball with 2:05 remaining.

Detroit marched down the field and reached the 1-yard line on a completion to Isaac TeSlaa, but multiple penalties backed Detroit up to first-and-goal from the 16.

On fourth-and-goal from the 9, with the season on the line, St. Brown caught a pass and lateraled it to Lions quarterback Jared Goff, who leaped into the end zone with no time on the clock. The pass interference call nullified the touchdown and ended the game.

Detroit’s old bogeyman, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, looked nothing like his former self, but he made every play that was required to win the game. That’s certainly more than can be said for Goff, who never looked comfortable playing behind first-time starting center Kingsley Eguakun and returning left guard Christian Mahogany.

Running back Jahmyr Gibbs was held to 2 yards on seven carries and David Montgomery had 14 yards on four carries. The passing game wasn’t much better; Goff was sacked three times and had little time to throw, even when he managed to stay upright, with most of his 364 passing yards coming in the game’s final quarter.

Making matters even uglier was the fact that Pittsburgh was without two of its top sack-getters, T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig.

Excluding a one-play drive to end the first half, four of the Lions’ possessions ended in a three-and-out, including their first two drives of the second half. Detroit’s offense held the ball for just 51 seconds during a tumultuous third quarter.

The Lions fell behind two scores, 22-10, on Warren’s first 45-yard touchdown run with 12:23 left in the game. Detroit responded with a 27-yard touchdown by Kalif Raymond that brought the game to within a score, but a few moments later, the Steelers put together a drive that was emblematic of the collapse by Kelvin Sheppard’s defense down the stretch.

After an illegal block pushed the Steelers to first-and-20 to start Detroit’s most important defensive series of the season, Rodgers immediately hit a 20-yard completion to DK Metcalf. One play after that, Warren ran wild again for a 45-yard score.

Detroit again got within a score, using a 4-yard receiving touchdown by Gibbs to make it 29-24 with 4:11 remaining. But on the very first play of Pittsburgh’s next possession, they picked up two first downs in as many plays, including a 20-yard end-around to tight end Jonnu Smith on the first play of the series.

After the Lions went three-and-out on their opening possession, Pittsburgh took the game’s first lead with 9:21 left in the first quarter as Boswell nailed a 59-yard field-goal attempt to put the Steelers up 3-0.

Detroit nearly took a lead with 2:07 left in the first quarter. The Lions gambled on fourth-and-goal from the 3, but Goff’s throw to St. Brown was broken up at the goal line, resulting in a turnover on downs.

The Lions got on the board and tied the game with 10:10 remaining in the second quarter. A promising drive was derailed by atrocious run blocking, as Alex Highsmith picked up his second tackle-for-loss when stopping Montgomery in Steelers territory. Detroit couldn’t recover and settled for a 36-yard field goal from Jake Bates to make it 3-3.

After both offenses were stuck in the mud for much of the first half, both teams scored their first touchdown in the final 1:55 of the second quarter.

Photo gallery from Lions hosting the Steelers at Ford Field

Isaac TeSlaa made a sensational effort to hang on to a pass through contact for his fifth touchdown of the season, a 20-yarder that put Detroit up 10-3.

But the Steelers answered right back on a drive in which they converted third downs of 10, 11 and 10 yards before Kenneth Gainwell made a miraculous catch while falling down to tie the game with 0:02 left in the second quarter. Gainwell, with Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone draped all over him, made the catch while laying on his side, got up, and ran the ball into the end zone for the score.

The Lions’ defense had a momentum-swinging play to begin the second half as Anzalone and safety Thomas Harper stripped Steelers tight end Darnell Washington at the 4-yard line. Washington was initially ruled down on the play, but after Lions coach Dan Campbell challenged the call, officials deemed that the ball came out and was clearly recovered by Lions linebacker Jack Campbell.

Takeaways from disastrous defensive effort that sinks Lions in 29-24 loss to Steelers

Only three plays later, however, Michael Niese — in for Eguakun — delivered a low snap to Goff, who Steelers safety Kyle Dugger immediately sacked for a safety that yielded the Steelers a 12-10 lead with 9:42 remaining in the third quarter.

On the ensuing possession, the Steelers traveled 64 yards in 17 plays while bleeding 9:44 off the clock, adding a 23-yard field goal from Boswell to go up 15-10 with 14:58 left in the game. The Lions held the ball for just 51 seconds during the third quarter.

Warren bought some insurance for the Steelers with a 45-yard rushing touchdown to go up by two scores with 12:23 left in the game, which came in handy when the Lions converted on fourth-and-2 with a 27-yard passing touchdown to Raymond that made it 22-17 with 8:39 left in the game.

ALLEN PARK — It should come as no surprise that one of the toughest and most determined players in recent Detroit Lions history is playing the best football of his career as he nears 38 years old.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, now in his 17th NFL season, might even earn his first MVP.

But his former team, the 8-5 Lions, will try to crater his case this Sunday at SoFi Stadium in a matchup that now feels all too familiar after recent playoff and opening-night run-ins, both in Detroit — and both Detroit victories.

These two sides have each proved their point. The Rams won a Super Bowl with Stafford, and the Lions beat L.A. when it mattered on that cold, cold night in January 2024, exercising several generations of demons in the process. Then they won another to open the 2024 season for good measure.

For all of the simmering emotions that’ll exist in this game — from Stafford, from Rams coach Sean McVay, from Lions quarterback Jared Goff — the reality is this rivalry is being increasingly defined by two great teams being in each other’s way of a Super Bowl year after year.

“We played them in that playoff game, was such a big deal. The next year, played them again and that felt like even less,” Goff said this week. “So now it’s even further removed, and —  yeah, they’re a really good team and we’ll have our hands full.”

This one matters a lot; a loss wouldn’t devastate Detroit’s playoff hopes, but a win to reach 9-5 would springboard the odds. The Rams, meanwhile, are currently the NFC’s No. 1 seed and would like to stay in that spot.

And yet, even strictly in those contexts, it’s still Goff and Stafford in the center of the ring.

No looking back

Stafford’s status entering the season was up in the air. He was dealing with a herniated disc in his back that was treated with an epidural. At age 37, there was plenty of speculation whether Stafford had already played his last game.

Fast forward four months, and Stafford has not only been completely healthy this season; he’s been one of the best players in all of football. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he’s just starting to enter his prime.

Stafford’s 35 touchdown passes lead the next closest (Goff and Dak Prescott, 26) by a whopping nine touchdowns. He also leads the league in passer rating (113.1). His 258.0 yards per game are fourth; and he’s thrown just four interceptions.

“He’s playing as good as anybody at the position right now, that’s the bottom line,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said.

The further we get away from the trade that altered both franchises’ trajectories, the less these now-yearly matchups are centered around it. It’s now been nearly five full years since the Lions traded Stafford to the Rams in exchange for Goff, two first-rounders and a third-round pick.

Goff, now in his fifth season with Detroit, has played more games as a Lion (78) than he did as a Ram (69). He’s long been ready to move past the trade and the emotions that came with it, especially since he and the Lions expelled their trauma in the playoff win against L.A.

And Stafford, for all of the jaw-dropping statistics he put up during his time with the Lions, has now achieved most of the crowning achievements of his career — plus all of the playoff success — with the Rams.

“I feel that way,” Stafford said this week, asked if the Lions have become just another team. “When I flip the (Lions’) tape on, I don’t think about all the guys that I used to play with because hardly any of them are still playing on the team. The biggest thing for me is watching them play, and they jump off the tape. They’re fast. They’re physical. They’re well-coached. … It’s another really good, complete football team.”

Goff, meanwhile, has held up his own end of the bargain. He led the Lions to two of their best seasons during the Super Bowl era in 2023 and 2024.

This year, he’s survived the loss of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and the retirement of All-Pro center Frank Ragnow, plus a midseason play-caller change. Goff is tied for second in completion rate (70.1%) and touchdowns (26), and fifth in yards per game (256.5).

“He’s a true professional. … He’s seen a lot of ball. He doesn’t blink. He doesn’t blink,” Lions offensive coordinator John Morton said. “I mean, there’s times where he’s getting his butt kicked, he just gets right back up. That’s one of his strengths; he’s mentally tough. And his preparation is the key to our success.”

When the two teams meet in Inglewood, Calif., this Sunday, the game will likely be defined by which quarterback has a better day at the office.

Goff climbs the charts

When Stafford was drafted No. 1 overall by the Lions in 2009, the decision wasn’t as cut and dry as history would have you believe. Stafford certainly doesn’t forget that a strong contingent of the Lions’ fanbase wanted the team to instead draft linebacker Aaron Curry out of Wake Forest.

“I remember about 50% of the fans in Detroit not wanting me to go there,” Stafford said this week.

It all worked out for Detroit: Curry wound up going three picks later to the New York Jets at No. 4, and played just four seasons before retiring to begin his coaching career in 2013.

Stafford smashed the Lions’ franchise records for passing yards (45,109) and touchdowns (282). But the team never figured itself out around him, resulting in just four winning seasons over 12 years. The Lions were 0-3 in playoff games started by Stafford.

Off in the distance, a challenger is beginning to emerge for the most productive quarterback in franchise history. Goff, 31, is second in both passing yards (20,221) and touchdowns (141) with plenty of football ahead of him. And while he still has a long way to go to match those ridiculous numbers, the fact of the matter is that Goff has already accomplished more in a Lions uniform, from a team perspective, than Stafford ever did.

This Sunday at SoFi Stadium, legacies aren’t on the line, like they were back in the 2023 Wild Card round. Whichever team loses will still have a chance to make the playoffs and reach or win the Super Bowl. The personal feelings have subsided as years have gone by.

But make no mistake about it: the Goff and Stafford trade is still at the center of every game these two teams will play.

“I know it feels like a win for us,” Campbell said, nearly five years later. “I’m sure they do, too.”

You don’t have to pinch yourselves, Detroit Lions fans, this is real: Frank Ragnow is coming out of retirement, a source confirmed to The Detroit News on Wednesday.

Ragnow, a multi-time All-Pro, first announced his retirement in June, citing health reasons. The former first-round pick and standout in the middle of Detroit’s vaunted offensive line has endured a number of injuries throughout his career, including a fractured throat and, as recently as the 2024 season, a partially torn pectoral muscle.

But those ailments were seemingly not enough to keep Ragnow away from the game for long. His reinsertion into the lineup gives new hope for the Lions’ offensive line, which, at best, has been up and down through the first three months of the 2025 season.

Quarterback Jared Goff has been sacked 23 times (12th-most in the NFL), and Detroit has rushed for fewer than 100 yards in each of its four losses. The Lions were held to under 75 rushing yards against the Green Bay Packers (Week 1), Minnesota Vikings (Week 9) and Philadelphia Eagles (Week 11).

Without Ragnow, the Lions turned to veteran Graham Glasgow, moving him from guard to center. At guard, the Lions initially leaned on second-year pro Christian Mahogany and rookie Tate Ratledge, but Mahogany broke a bone in his leg earlier this month and his since been replaced by Kayode Awosika. Mahogany could return in late December, Lions coach Dan Campbell has estimated.

To call Ragnow’s un-retirement a surprise would be an understatement. Asked on Nov. 4 about Ragnow, Lions coach Dan Campbell said the “ship has sailed” on him coming back: “Here’s what I know about Frank: If Frank really wanted to (play), he would be blowing my phone up, and I haven’t gotten a text yet,” Campbell said in an interview on 97.1 The Ticket’s “Costa & Jansen with Heather” show. “So, I think Frank is feeling good about his decision. Look, they just had another baby, so happy for them.”

“This is awesome for the Lions, can’t wait to watch Frank back out there doing his thing!” former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce said on social media.

Ragnow has appeared in and started 96 games in his career, with all but 16 of those games coming at center; he played left guard his rookie year. Ragnow is a four-time Pro Bowler and was a second-team All-Pro in 2020, 2023 and 2024. The Lions used the 20th overall pick in 2018 to draft Ragnow, who spent four seasons at Arkansas and was a two-time All-American.

As is standard when a player comes out of retirement, Ragnow’s preexisting contract will be in effect, according to ESPN. When he retired, he two years remaining on a four-year, $54 million extension signed in 2021.

This is a developing story that will be updated.

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions won’t have much time to enjoy their thrilling overtime victory against the New York Giants Sunday, and perhaps that’s a good thing.

For all the memorable moments that it provided, the majority of the Lions’ performance was forgettable — a shocking unraveling for most of four quarters before Jahmyr Gibbs stitched it all back together with two big-time touchdown runs in the fourth quarter and overtime.

The Giants played Detroit like they have most contenders they’ve faced this season: With a general fearlessness that keeps them in it until the very end. In their prior two games, they took both Green Bay and Chicago to the wire, with both Lions’ divisional foes needing a late touchdown to win; the Packers scored their winning touchdown with 4:02 to go, and the Bears took their lead with 1:47 remaining.

All of this is to say that the Giants were no easy out, despite being the first team eliminated from the playoffs with Sunday’s loss.

And while that’s not going to make any nervous Lions fan feel better about the road ahead, what ultimately matters most is that they added to their win column instead of the loss column. The 8-seed Lions (7-4) are still on the outside looking in of the playoff picture after Sunday’s events, and a loss would have put them in a hole that could have been tough to climb out of, especially given what’s on the docket.

Detroit’s next six opponents have a combined record of 39-25-2, tied with Chicago for the third-most difficult remaining schedule in the league, per Tankathon. (Green Bay, for what it’s worth, is first.)

All of the Lions’ remaining opponents except Minnesota, which beat the Lions in Week 9, are .500 or above.

Week 13: vs. Green Bay (7-3-1)

Week 14: vs. Dallas (5-5-1)

Week 15: at Los Angeles Rams (9-2)

Week 16: vs. Pittsburgh (6-5)

Week 17: at Minnesota (4-7)

Week 18: at Chicago (8-3)

Under normal circumstances, the Lions likely would have to find three more wins in this six-game span just to get into the playoffs, but even that might not be enough: The 49ers (7-4) are currently in the 7 seed. It might take 11 wins (and a 4-2 record down the stretch for Detroit) to find a way in if they can’t track down Chicago for the division lead.

The silver lining is the Lions can quickly climb the standings by beating the teams ahead of them. These next three games are critically important. They can jump Green Bay in the North with a win Thursday. A win over Dallas the following week would go a long way toward shoving the Cowboys out of the playoff picture while adding an NFC win. And if they can win those two and find a way to beat Los Angeles, well, we’d have to think Detroit is the favorite to win the NFC North.

Of course, it won’t be that simple. Green Bay stuffed Detroit in a locker in Week 1, and the Packers’ front is still a major mismatch for a Lions offensive line that has since lost a starter. Dallas has a potent offense and has shown a propensity for shutting down the run since making some trade-deadline acquisitions. And the Rams have established themselves as the best team in football through 12 weeks.

When I look at the back half of this schedule, I’m really not sure what to expect. They could go 5-1 or 2-4, and neither would truly surprise me.

On the one hand: The pass protection is still an inconsistent mess; the pass rush has barely gotten home in the last three weeks; the secondary has been extremely volatile at times; and the Lions, one of the league’s worst third-down teams (25th), have lost one of their best money-down options, tight end Sam LaPorta, indefinitely.

On the other hand: The Lions have the best lineman-running back-receiver trios in the league in Penei Sewell, Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown; their defensive front has been playing lights-out against the run; they’re expected to continue getting defensive starters back; and they still have the pedigree of a team that’s used to winning the division.

Everything is on the table — positive and negative — for these final six weeks.

Audio glitch

Had Jake Bates missed the last-minute kick that tied the game, there would be one major topic of conversation today that’s instead being glossed over.

After quarterback Jared Goff moved the chains with a 9-yard completion to St. Brown, he spiked the ball at Detroit’s 47-yard line to stop the clock with 1:12 left in the game. The team huddled, but with the play clock winding down, the Lions ended up using their third and final timeout anyway.

Why?

Lions coach Dan Campbell said there was an issue with the headset, and he couldn’t get the play to Goff after the spike. The broadcast cameras showed Campbell immediately talking into the headset after the spike, but as the clock wound down to under 10 seconds, the team remained in the huddle.

“I don’t know what happened with that, to be honest with you,” Campbell said. “I just knew I couldn’t get to him. So, I don’t know if something happened, I don’t know. The procedure of what goes on for me, from me to him. Yeah, it was just one of those oddball, weird deals, where thank God it didn’t cost us.”

Goff’s on-field actions — he approached the ref and pointed to his headset after the timeout was called — seemed to confirm that was the case, and the Lions immediately overcame it by hitting Gibbs for an 11-yard pass that went for a first down, helping move Detroit into field-goal range for Bates.

And there is, of course, an argument to be made that one decision begot the other: Because the Lions spiked the ball on first down, they couldn’t afford to run a dud play on second down, and therefore needed to use the timeout to avoid cratering the last-gasp possession.

But it probably still shouldn’t have happened. Campbell has talked at length about how Goff knows the offense as well as he does, and how he can get them into the right play when things go wonky. Yet, that didn’t occur in a moment of utmost importance.

And while it might be asking too much of Goff to just take over the huddle at a moment’s notice and call a play, it’s not like it was the first time a headset has gone down during an NFL game. There needs to be a contingency plan for moments like those, because it could have cost them dearly.

Comeback kids

In last week’s “Final Drive,” one of the things I bemoaned about this Lions team was that they haven’t played well from behind all season. In each of their four losses, they fell behind in the first half and never regained a lead at any point in the second half.

The Lions threatened to extend that streak Sunday, falling behind 17-7 in the second quarter and not regaining the lead until overtime.

But for the first time all season, they prevailed. And yes, it was against a crappy opponent, but when they fell behind against the Eagles, for example, it was hard to foresee a comeback; they just hadn’t done it. Now, they have.

That goes further in the locker room than one might think.

“You never know what these (types of wins) can do. Sometimes, it’s just important to remind yourself what we’re all capable of, even when the chips are down and things get hard,” Campbell said. “You don’t ever forget how to dig in one more time and find a way to lean on each other and do your job. And anytime you can get a win like this, it’s a good thing. It’s a good thing.

“Because that very easily a number of times could have gone the other way, and we all know it. But it didn’t, it didn’t. we made the plays we had to make.”

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions trailed by 10. The opposing third-string quarterback had just scored a 33-yard receiving touchdown. It felt like the season — let alone the game — was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

And then Jahmyr Gibbs happened.

With 11:01 left in the fourth quarter Sunday, Gibbs took a handoff from quarterback Jared Goff, hurdled over some feet near the line of scrimmage, and broke three tackles before winning a race to the end zone for a 49-yard touchdown run that kept the game — and maybe the season — from spiraling out of control.

After the Lions got a stop near their own goal line to get the ball back down 27-24 with 2:54 remaining, he made a handful of big receptions to move the chains, keeping the Lions afloat just long enough for Jake Bates to deliver a 59-yard field goal that tied the game, 27-27, with 28 seconds remaining.

In overtime, Gibbs took the opening handoff for a 69-yard touchdown, helping the Lions seal a 34-27 comeback victory over the New York Giants at Ford Field after the defense shut the door with a fourth-down sack on Jameis Winston on the ensuing possession.

For the second time in three weeks, Gibbs set a career high in rushing yards (219) on just 15 carries (14.6 yards per attempt), and scored three total touchdowns with 45 receiving yards. Gibbs’ 264 yards from scrimmage are the most for a running back in Lions history.

Gibbs also pulled the Lions out of a funk in the first half, too. His first big carry also went for 49 yards, with the Lions trailing 17-7 in the late stages of the second quarter. After getting Detroit to the 3-yard line, Gibbs caught a pass in the flat for his first score of the afternoon.

While he can’t solve all of the Lions’ offensive problems, he sure does appear to be Mr. Fix-It right now. The offensive line’s woes haven’t seemed to matter when he’s had the ball in his hands in recent weeks.

And on Sunday afternoon at Ford Field, it saved the Lions from being in a mighty uncomfortable spot heading into Thursday’s pivotal NFC North showdown with the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving.

The Giants ambushed Detroit on their opening drive. After Aidan Hutchinson was flagged for being offside on a failed third-and-7, the Giants hit a double pass to Wan’Dale Robinson for a 39-yard touchdown. The defense bit on an outside toss play, leaving Robinson running free through the Lions’ secondary as Winston got the ball back and chucked it deep.

Winston kept the Lions on their heels all game. While he only completed 50% of his passes, it seemed like every one of his completions was an explosive one, and rarely did he miss in a gotta-have-it situation. He finished 18-for-36 for 366 yards with two passing touchdowns and one receiving.

The Giants, which finished with 517 yards of offense, added to their lead on the final play of the first quarter, reaching the red zone after a trio of completions to Robinson (12 yards, 40, 15), the last of which was aided by a personal foul call on Brian Branch that set New York up with first-and-goal at the 8. The Lions’ defense stood tall to limit the Giants to a field goal and a 10-0 lead.

Detroit finally got on the board with 11:41 left in the second quarter. After dropping a critical pass on the previous drive, Amon-Ra St. Brown ripped off a gain of 18 yards and then drew a defensive pass interference call — the first on a Lions’ opponent all season — in the end zone to get it to first-and-goal at the 1.

After an intentional grounding penalty on Jared Goff made it third-and-goal from the 11, St. Brown overcame some poor blocking on a wide receiver screen to barrel his way into the end zone, cutting the deficit to 10-7.

St. Brown had two big drops, including one that was collected by a defender for an interception, but got off the mat following a quiet night in Philadelphia by hauling in nine catches for 149 yards and a touchdown. Goff was 28-for-42 passing for 279 yards and a touchdown.

But after his touchdown, the Giants wasted no time in extending the lead to 10 once again. Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. broke out for a 42-yard gain on the opening play of New York’s ensuing possession, and with the Lions hoping to get off the field on third-and-8 later in the series, Winston fired a touchdown pass to Isaiah Hodgins in the back of the end zone for a 17-7 lead.

Photo gallery from the Lions’ overtime win over the Giants

After both offenses had a failed drive, the Lions took over with 4:10 left in the second quarter, down 10. And then the Gibbs Show arrived.

He ripped off a 49-yard run to get Detroit to the 3-yard line of New York, then caught a pass in the flat for his first touchdown of the afternoon, cutting the Giants’ lead to 17-14.

The Giants used another explosive catch by Robinson to reach Lions territory and add a 44-yard field goal by Younghoe Koo with 38 seconds left in the half.

But a pair of big-time plays by veteran receiver Kalif Raymond helped the Lions erase the points added. He returned the kickoff 44 yards, his longest kick return of the season, and then caught a 30-yard pass, leading to a 37-yard field goal from Bates to make it 20-17.

Takeaways as the Detroit Lions avoid upset, defeat New York Giants in overtime

The Lions’ offense finally got rolling toward the end of the third quarter after a quiet start to the half. A couple of big catches by St. Brown got Detroit into the red zone, but a third-down throw from Goff bounced off St. Brown’s hands and was intercepted by Giants safety Jevón Holland, erasing the opportunity for a game-tying field goal on fourth down.

The Giants used the momentum to add insult to injury. After marching right back downfield, the Giants scored on a 33-yard reverse pass from wide receiver Gunner Olszewski to Winston, taking a 27-17 lead.

Gibbs motored the Lions back into the contest, breaking free on a 49-yard rushing touchdown in which he broke three tackles to bring the Lions within a field goal, 27-24, with 10:50 to go in the game.

PHILADELPHIA — A week after the Detroit Lions’ offense kicked into gear, it found itself stuck in the mud at Lincoln Financial Field.

In a game that was supposed to be a litmus test for this team’s title hopes, the Lions came up short offensively on just about every big play against the reigning Super Bowl champions.

Detroit went 4-for-15 on third down and tied an NFL record, according to TruMedia data, by whiffing on all five of its fourth-down attempts as they were K.O.’d by the title defenders in a 16-9 loss on “Sunday Night Football.”

Detroit’s key cogs in the passing game — quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and the entire offensive line — all earned their fair share of the blame for Detroit’s shortcomings.

The Lions (6-4) entered the day in first place in the NFC North and are now in third. The Eagles are 8-3.

Could the protection have been better? Sure. The Eagles’ pass rush was humming on Sunday night, and it was most noticeable during a fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line: Goff had a wide-open Brock Wright for a would-be touchdown, but with edge rusher Jaelen Phillips, the Eagles’ shiny deadline acquisition, barreling down on him after cleanly beating Penei Sewell, he made an ill-advised throw to St. Brown that fell incomplete.

Still, a number of the conversions just came down to poor execution — an underthrown pass here, a blatant drop there — as the Lions let the opportunity they’ve waited for slip right through their fingers. Goff targeted St. Brown six times on third and fourth down, connecting on none of them. He targeted Jameson Williams once on fourth down; the pass was low, but catchable, and dropped.

Goff set a career-low in completion rate (14-for-37, 37.8%) as he threw for 255 yards, a touchdown and an interception with a passer rating of 60.1. St. Brown had two catches for 42 yards on a whopping 12 targets. Williams had four catches for 88 yards and a 40-yard touchdown.

The Lions’ defense held up its end of the bargain, holding the Eagles to 273 yards of offense and 3-for-13 on third down. It was repeatedly put in bad spots — the Eagles had three drive starts in Lions territory during the first half, including an early field-goal drive that started at Detroit’s 11 after an interception. Saquon Barkley was held to 3.2 yards per carry (83 yards on 26 attempts).

Not all the blame can be attributed to the players. Sunday night was not Dan Campbell’s best coaching performance. He kept going for it on fourth down until perhaps the most important one of the game; with 5:10 remaining and the Lions down 10, Detroit surrendered their weapons and punted it away.

Detroit miraculously had a chance to get back in the game on Philadelphia’s final possession. After cutting the deficit to 16-9, the Lions appeared to get a stop on third-and-8 with 1:47 remaining that would’ve given them the ball back, but the officials — who’d let handsy cornerback play go all game — threw a pass-interference flag on Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin.

Of course, the Eagles deserve their credit, too. They were far and away the better team on Sunday night, which is perhaps a more difficult reality to grapple with than the one in which the Lions simply wasted their opportunities.

Philadelphia’s pass rush sure looks Super Bowl-caliber, and they made sure Goff felt the heat down-in, down-out. He was 0-for-10 with an interception when pressured, according to Pro Football Focus live data.

And the Eagles’ run defense was as mean as ever. Jahmyr Gibbs was limited to 39 yards on 12 carries — but had a career-high 107 receiving yards — as David Montgomery carried it six times for 27 yards.

The Lions got a quick stop to start the game and immediately started moving the ball on offense. The Eagles reversed the momentum when Jordan Davis deflected a pass at the line of scrimmage, and it was intercepted by Cooper DeJean, who returned the ball to Detroit’s 11-yard line.

Detroit’s defense held and limited the Eagles — the NFL’s No. 1 red zone offense entering Sunday — to a field goal that made it 3-0 at 9:43 in the first quarter.

The Lions gambled on fourth-and-1 from their own 48-yard line, rushing to the line after getting stuffed on third-and-short to try another handoff. But Gibbs was stuffed again, resulting in a turnover on downs. But Detroit’s defense got another stop, forcing a three-and-out on the ensuing possession.

Detroit was stopped again in its own territory during the following series. Facing a fourth-and-2 at their own 43, the Lions ran a direct snap to Grant Stuard, who was stuffed short of the line for another turnover on downs. The Eagles turned this stop into points, adding a 34-yard field goal off the foot of Jake Elliott for a 6-0 lead with 6:02 to go in the half.

The failed fake punt was the first of two costly coaching decisions in the first half.

The Lions’ offense got on track in the blink of an eye, taking the ball 74 yards in three plays as Jameson Williams exploded for a 40-yard touchdown. He caught a pass from Goff over the middle and accelerated into the end zone, drawing a personal foul for excessive celebration when he celebrated by hugging the goalpost.

The Eagles then marched right down the field for a touchdown to regain the lead near the end of the first half. After A.J. Brown caught an 11-yard pass to set up first-and-goal at the 5-yard line with more than a minute left in the half, Campbell — who had all three timeouts in his pocket — allowed Philadelphia to burn off most of the remaining clock and give the ball back to Detroit with a 13-6 lead and only 16 seconds left in the half.

Photo gallery from Sunday Night Football matchup between the Lions and Eagles

Jalen Hurts gave Philadelphia the lead with a 1-yard rushing touchdown via the “Tush Push,” the Eagles’ infamous quarterback sneak.

The Lions caught a break early in the third quarter when Philadelphia was called for a false start before attempting the “Tush Push,” which NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay said should have been a neutral-zone infraction on Lions defensive tackle Tyleik Williams.

Detroit’s defense got off the field with a stop on the ensuing third-and-6, then raced down the field behind some significant gains from Gibbs, including a 42-yard reception. The Lions again failed to convert on a money down as Goff, under heavy pressure, threw an incompletion to a covered St. Brown instead of a wide-open Brock Wright on fourth-and-goal at the 4 for the turnover on downs.

Takeaways as lifeless Lions offense flounders in 16-9 loss to Eagles

The Lions’ defense continued to get stops as the offense continued to sputter. Detroit had another fourth-down attempt near midfield near the end of the third quarter, but again the St. Brown connection faltered, as Goff misfired to his most trusted weapon for Detroit’s fifth turnover on downs.

The Eagles took a big step toward putting the game away when they added a 49-yard field goal from Elliott with 10:15 remaining.

The Lions gave themselves an opportunity when they stopped a pair of “Tush Pushes” to force a turnover on downs in Philadelphia territory with 2:57 to go. Detroit made it a one-score game with a 54-yard field goal from Jake Bates.

But after kicking the ball away with all three timeouts, the Lions couldn’t get the stop required as officials made a controversial third-down pass interference call on Ya-Sin to all but end the game.

The Detroit Lions will be without tight end Sam LaPorta for at least the next four games after placing him on injured reserve with a back injury on Saturday afternoon.

LaPorta was not spotted at practice or in the locker room all week. Lions coach Dan Campbell was not specific when asked about his injury on Friday, other than noting that he probably wouldn’t practice. The earliest LaPorta can return is Week 15 against the Rams.

The loss is a big one for Detroit, as LaPorta is a major contributor in both the run and passing game. Through nine games this season, he caught 40 passes for 489 yards and three touchdowns.

The Lions also chose not to activate several players who were eligible to come off of injured reserve lists for Sunday’s primetime game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Detroit on Saturday announced that defensive end Marcus Davenport, cornerback D.J. Reed (hamstring), linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (knee), and offensive lineman Miles Frazier (knee) were not activated and were downgraded to out for the contest. All players were previously listed as questionable.

None of those moves comes as a surprise, except perhaps Rodriguez, who’s beginning to push up against the end of his 21-day acclimation window. Rodriguez must be added to the roster by Tuesday, Nov. 18, or be shut down for the rest of the year.

The Lions also added wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa to the game status report with an oblique injury; he is now questionable for Sunday’s game. The Lions will be shorthanded in the secondary, with Reed joining cornerback Terrion Arnold and All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph in their absence.

Defensive lineman Pat O’Connor, who was placed on injured reserve this week with a knee injury, was waived with an injury settlement.

To round out the roster for Sunday’s game against the Eagles, the Lions signed offensive lineman Michael Niese from the practice squad to the active roster and temporarily elevated wide receivers Tom Kennedy and Jackson Meeks from the practice squad.

ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions will try to beat the Philadelphia Eagles without at least three starters.

Tight end Sam LaPorta (back), safety Kerby Joseph (knee) and cornerback Terrion Arnold (concussion) have all be ruled out for Sunday’s game at Lincoln Financial Field, along with defensive lineman Josh Paschal (back). The situation is particularly murky at cornerback, as both D.J. Reed (hamstring) and Amik Robertson (hamstring) were tabbed as questionable.

Head coach Dan Campbell said Friday he doesn’t see Reed playing against the Eagles. Robertson, meanwhile, told The Detroit News he was feeling “great,” and that he was dealing with some hamstring tightness. “It wasn’t nothing major,” Robertson said.

Down at least two starting defensive backs (Arnold and Joseph) and another (Reed) unlikely to play, the Lions will likely lean on some combination of Rock Ya-Sin, Nick Whiteside and Arthur Maulet at cornerback. Thomas Harper figures to continue starting in place of Joseph. Avonte Maddox, who can play nickel and safety, may see some opportunity, as well.

Also questionable for Sunday’s game are offensive linemen Taylor Decker (shoulder), Penei Sewell (ankle) and Miles Frazier (knee), defensive end Marcus Davenport (shoulder), linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (knee), running backs Sione Vaki (ankle) and Jacob Saylors (back), and tight end Brock Wright (ankle).

Wright, who is expected to fill in for LaPorta, said his ankle is “good.”

“It might change a little bit. Of course, maybe a different snap count, stuff like that,” Wright said, when asked how much his role changes if he’s the team’s first option at tight end. “But overall, the job is always the same.”

Campbell said his trust in Wright is “sky high.”

“Brock’s a guy we don’t talk a lot about, but he’s the jack of all trades, man, he does everything for us, pass protect, run block, he can run some routes, he plays special teams, like, he’s one of the most dependable players we have on this team,” Campbell said.

“And at the end of the day, what you really need in the tight end position is versatility and smarts, and he’s got both of those, and he’s tough. He checks a lot of boxes of a well-rounded tight end, so that is always going to make me feel a lot better — make us, offensively, feel a lot better.”

So far this season, Wright has nine catches for 71 yards and two touchdowns.

Sewell and Decker did not practice Friday. It’s possible that the players were just resting their preexisting injuries. Decker was limited by his shoulder injury on Wednesday and Thursday, while Sewell missed Wednesday’s practice and was limited on Thursday.

LANDOVER, Md. — All it took for the Detroit Lions to see their offensive problems clearly was head coach Dan Campbell putting on a pair of glasses.

With Campbell and not offensive coordinator John Morton calling the plays at Northwest Stadium on Sunday, the Lions’ offense returned to its potent self, exploding for a 44-22 win over the Washington Commanders.

Detroit totaled a season-high 546 yards of offense (8.0 per play) and scored on all eight of its drives, except the final one running out the clock. Quarterback Jared Goff went 25-for-33 passing for 320 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

About calling the plays Sunday, Campbell said, “It was just, let’s try something a little different. I know what I want to do, I know how I want to do it. That being said, this is a collaborative effort. I was taking input from John Morton that whole time, and the other coaches.”

Campbell added: “The coaches work together, but I just wanted to change it up a little bit. Maybe a different play-caller can get us a little rhythm, that’s all.”

Nobody benefitted more than wide receiver Jameson Williams and running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

Williams had a game-high 119 receiving yards on six catches with one receiving touchdown, while Gibbs totaled 172 yards from scrimmage (including 142 rushing) for three total touchdowns. Amon-Ra St. Brown, who had 58 receiving yards, added a 9-yard receiving touchdown that put the Lions up 14-3 with 1:54 to go in the first quarter.

Williams made a critical third-down catch to keep the Lions’ opening drive alive, paving the way for Gibbs to give Detroit a 7-0 lead when he broke free on a Texas route to reach the end zone on a 14-yard receiving touchdown.

Gibbs reached the end zone again with 9:41 left in the first half. He found the edge on an outside run before getting dragged into the end zone by teammates St. Brown and Sam LaPorta.

After the play, St. Brown was cold-cocked in the face by Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne, prompting Payne’s ejection from the game. The Lions used the penalty yardage to their advantage by attempting a successful 2-point conversion to go up 22-3 behind a 1-yard run from David Montgomery.

Commanders defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw was assessed a 15-yard personal foul for making contact with an official as players from both teams gathered in a heated exchange after the 2-point attempt.

Williams was activated again as the Lions took over to begin the third quarter, catching three passes for 47 yards on the drive, including a 14-yard receiving touchdown that gave the Lions a 32-10 lead.

Gibbs completed the hat trick early in the fourth quarter. He ran behind right tackle Penei Sewell before accelerating in the open field for a 44-yard rushing touchdown that sent Commanders fans heading for the exits as the scoreboard read 41-16.

It wasn’t a perfect game for Detroit, especially on special teams. The Lions gave up another big kickoff return as Noah Igbinoghene ripped off 46 yards to kickstart the Commanders’ first scoring drive. Kicker Matt Gay cut the Lions’ lead to 7-3 with a 44-yard field goal at 5:43 in the first quarter. After Gibbs’ third touchdown, the Commanders blocked an extra-point try off the toe of Jake Bates.

Detroit was also troubled by an offense led by backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, who finished 16-for-22 and threw for 213 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions with a passer rating of 133.3. The Lions were without starting safety Kerby Joseph and lost starting cornerback Terrion Arnold to a concussion in the second quarter.

After the Lions took a 22-3 lead, Washington got off the mat with a 75-yard touchdown drive, which was sprung by an early 44-yard completion to Jaylin Lane. The Commanders cut their deficit to 22-10 with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Chris Rodriguez with 3:39 left in the second quarter.

Detroit Lions offense is commanding in 44-22 road win at Washington

Washington’s offense kept fighting after Williams’ second-half touchdown and reached the end zone for the second time with 7:05 to go in the third quarter. Facing fourth-and-3 from Detroit’s 4-yard line, the Commanders called a perfect play to get wide receiver Deebo Samuel open for a 4-yard touchdown catch. Detroit led 32-16 after the Commanders missed a 2-point attempt.

Ultimately, the Lions’ offense had enough gas in the tank to outpace anybody.

Photo gallery from Detroit Lions’ road win over Washington Commanders

The Commanders added another touchdown with 6:57 left in the game, but again failed on the 2-point attempt, helping maintain the Lions’ sizable lead. The Lions’ offensive starters were pulled after the drive.

Bates had three field goals, including a long of 48.

ALLEN PARK — Amid a host of other self-scouting initiatives that were undertaken during the bye week, the Detroit Lions want wide receiver Jameson Williams to get the ball on a more consistent basis.

It was fairly reasonable to expect that Williams would see a jump in production after he surpassed 1,000 yards last season, but the numbers have significantly regressed after he signed a three-year, $83 million contract extension on the eve of this year’s opener. Through seven games, Williams has just 17 catches for 289 yards and two touchdowns.

Still, coaches are hesitant to blame Williams for the situation. Lions offensive coordinator John Morton pointed the finger at himself, saying he needs to do a better job of getting Williams open.

“There (have) been opportunities where it just didn’t happen. It’s not like we aren’t going to try to target him,” Morton said Thursday. “So, that was the biggest thing. I looked at everything, and I failed him. That’s what I told him. I have to do a better job with that.”

As many coaches have noted during the drought, Williams holds value outside of being a pass catcher. His speed puts fear into the hearts of opposing defenses, forcing them to play with two high safeties and opening up the receivers underneath. Williams is also a terrific and willing run blocker, so it’s not like the lack of production is causing him to slack in other areas.

Williams has been a good sport about it in his weekly media sessions as well.

“I ain’t frustrated at all, bro. How could I be frustrated? I’m me,” Williams said. “It’s a part of the game, but I got catches. I would like more, but I’m never frustrated.”

Asked what he’s seeing from defenses, Williams said: “They try to take … my ability to go over the top out of the game. That’s the main thing that I’ve been seeing in the first half (of the season). We’ve got plans to attack it, and we’ve got a lot of players, so we’re never really worried about one person getting (taken) out of the game, because we got other players who go make explosives and touchdowns and plays for us.”

Morton is thrilled with how Williams has responded to the lack of opportunities.

“He was great. He doesn’t sweat it. I’m like, ‘Listen, man, I’m going to do a better job.’ That’s my job during the bye week, because I stayed here. And that was my job — and third down — to really study that,” Morton said.

“Because there’s a lot of — especially on third down — they’re doubling (Amon-Ra St. Brown), they’re doubling him, there’s a lot of stuff that’s going on. So, I have to be creative. I have to go in the archives to try to get these guys open better.”

No tricks, just treats

The Lions haven’t used one of their patented trick plays on special teams this season, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t called them.

“We always have something available, but it just hasn’t come up, whether it be the situation of the game, the look we wanted,” special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said.

During the early stages of Dan Campbell’s tenure in Detroit, the team gained a reputation for its propensity to gamble on fourth down by using trick plays out of punt formation. These days, the Lions still have the gambling reputation — but they typically run fourth-down plays using their offense instead.

Fipp said one of the reasons why opportunities have been so limited is that teams are always prepared to have to defend a fake punt. Which, in turn, does benefit their punt unit.

“It’s definitely gotten harder,” Fipp said. “You definitely see a lot more people around the box, and some guys playing with eyes inside, and just a lot of different things. But yeah, I would say it’s definitely gotten harder. But theoretically, it should help us punt the ball better, too.”

Hometown heroes

Among a host of standouts in the “Legion of Whom” — the nickname affectionately given to the Lions’ patchwork secondary, which dominated in the win over Tampa Bay — the story of cornerback Nick Whiteside shined through.

Whiteside grew up in Auburn Hills and attended Avondale High School, where Morton also attended. Morton’s brother, Tim, was the head basketball coach at Avondale for multiple seasons and coached Whiteside.

“I think it’s awesome to have somebody from my high school that can do that,” Morton said. “It’s kind of like my story a little bit. He’s had a lot of ups and downs and has fought his way. And listen, he had an opportunity, he did a good job. And hopefully that gives him confidence, and you never know what can happen. When you get confidence, guys change in different environments.”

After high school, Whiteside went on to play college football at Saginaw Valley State and was most recently in the United Football League before getting a chance to participate in Detroit’s training camp, where he made a positive impression. When health woes struck Detroit’s secondary, Whiteside got the call and lived up to the challenge. He had three pass breakups and two tackles against Tampa Bay.

“It’s nothing better to see than when I click on my Instagram and I see 100 articles talking about Nick Whiteside. That is unbelievable,” defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said. “A guy that was in the UFL, probably thought honestly, ‘Man, this is the end of the road for me. Oh, I get a practice squad spot.’

“And they’re grateful for those moments, but those guys never see themselves lining up mano a mano on (Buccaneers receiver Emeka) Egbuka. They never see themselves lining up mano a mano on (Buccaneers receiver) Mike Evans. That’s just real. And for him to not only get that opportunity but make the most of it — Erick Hallett, (cornerback) Art Maulet, (edge defender) Tyrus Wheat.

“I mean, the names go on and on of the guys that went out and not only just played, not only held the line, but they’ve put some pressure on some of our starters now.”

Return of the Mac

Defensive tackle Alim McNeill immediately made his presence felt in Detroit’s win over Tampa Bay.

He recorded five pressures and made one tackle, but his impact can better be measured by the production of Detroit’s edge rushers. Edge defenders Aidan Hutchinson (12 pressures), Al-Quadin Muhammad (nine), and Wheat (two) all set a season high in pressures, with Wheat adding 1 1/2 sacks.

“Mac is exceptional. I know Hutch is glad to have him back, but more importantly, I’m glad to have him back,” Sheppard said. “Because if you try to double, nudge Hutch and things like that, you’re leaving your guard one-on-one on one of, if not the best, three-(techniques) in the NFL.”

Fipp not worried about Bates

Kicker Jake Bates missed a 54-yard field goal in the Lions’ last game, bringing him to 2-for-5 on field goals of 50-plus yards this season. Bates, whose massive leg is a defining trait, also missed a 67-yard attempt against Baltimore in Week 3 and a 55-yarder against Chicago in Week 2.

But he’s a perfect 6 for 6 on all field goals under 50 yards and has made all 27 extra-point attempts, so Fipp isn’t sweating the misses. Still, it’s something they plan to work on throughout the season.

“Practice-wise, the numbers that I have, I mean, he’s been exceptional,” Fipp said. “So, I feel really good about what he’s doing, where he’s at. I have a lot of confidence in him. But yeah, he hasn’t made all of the long kicks that we would love for him to make. Can he hit that at a higher percentage? For sure. Will that be something to work on? Yeah, no doubt.”

Aidan Hutchinson, the homegrown heart and soul of the Detroit Lions’ defense, has agreed to a four-year contract extension with the team, his agent announced via social media Wednesday morning.

Financial terms have not been released.

Hutchinson, still just 25 years old, was the No. 2 pick out of Michigan in the 2022 NFL Draft and becomes the first member of general manager Brad Holmes’ second draft class to receive a significant contract extension.

Over his first two seasons, Hutchinson appeared in all 37 games (including playoffs) for Detroit and averaged 10½ sacks during the regular season, finishing as the runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022 and making his first Pro Bowl in 2023 after an 11.5-sack, 121-pressure campaign.

To begin the 2024 season, Hutchinson cemented himself as one of the NFL’s best pass rushers. At the time of his injury, which occurred after the Lions’ Week 5 bye, Hutchinson led the NFL in pressures (45) and sacks (7½). He remained the NFL’s pressure leader until Week 8, when his total was surpassed by Nick Bosa (San Francisco 49ers).

“Every time you watch him, he gets better and better and I was pretty blown away last night,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said after Hutchinson recorded a career-high 4.5 sacks in a Week 2 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.

“He’s a force. He’s a force. … He’s just relentless, he’s powerful, he’s explosive.”

Despite the severity of his injury, which required immediate surgery at a Dallas-area hospital, Hutchinson remained adamant he would be able to return for the Super Bowl, if the Lions had been able to make it that far. Campbell repeatedly warned against such optimism, but noted, “If anybody can come back from this, it would be Aidan.” The point ultimately became moot as the Lions fell to the Washington Commanders, 45-31, in the NFC’s divisional round.

Still, as highlighted by Campbell’s comments, Hutchinson’s dedicated work ethic is the shining example of what the Lions want their players to be.

Shortly before Detroit’s 2024 opener, former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said of Hutchinson, “Hutch has had a tremendous offseason. He had a tremendous training camp, and now he’s at the point that he needs to set his sights at being, if not the best player defensively in this league, to one of the best players — which he is, but now it’s time to look at himself as the best player.”

Since graduating from Dearborn Divine Child High School, Hutchinson has been at the forefront of reviving two local programs. In Hutchinson’s senior year at Michigan (2021), the Wolverines snapped an eight-game losing streak against rival Ohio State — a 42-27 victory at Michigan Stadium in which Hutchinson sacked Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud three times — and a 17-year drought as Big Ten champions, reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history.

With his multi-sack performance against Ohio State, Hutchinson set Michigan’s single-season sack record (14), a distinction previously owned by his father, Chris. He was named a unanimous All-American and finished as runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.

Two years later, Hutchinson helped propel Detroit to its first division title in 30 years as the Lions won two playoff games — doubling their total (one) from 1957-2022 — en route to an NFC Championship appearance, where the Lions came up short by way of a furious second-half comeback by the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.

Though Hutchinson didn’t necessarily grow up donning the Honolulu blue — “My dad’s from Texas, so he was never a big Lions fan,” he said last year — he acknowledged the surreal nature of the team’s turnaround ahead of the NFC title game.

“Growing up here, you grow up with a lot of the ‘Same Old Lions’ stuff, and a lot of the tragedy and whatever you want to call it,” Hutchinson said. “I see videos of little kids (excited about the Lions), and just like, seeing that generation growing up with this Lions team and the Lions teams to come, it’s just cool to have two different perspectives on it and to see kind of both sides of the coin.”

Entering the 2022 draft, Hutchinson was long believed to be the obvious No. 1 pick before Jacksonville ultimately chose to select Georgia pass rusher Travon Walker. Though Walker has steadily improved into a really good player, he has yet to exhibit the sky-high potential of Hutchinson. And he probably won’t be getting paid like him either.

ALLEN PARK — Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield are living the lives that are expected from former No. 1 picks: Both are playing for a contender and near the forefront of the MVP conversation.

But neither quarterback in Monday night’s game between the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers took an easy road to get here, even after they were the top picks in their respective drafts, Goff with the Los Angeles Rams in 2016 and Mayfield with the Cleveland Browns in 2018. Goff is on his second team while Mayfield is on his fourth.

Between the 53.3 yards that’ll separate the two sidelines on Monday night, you’ll find there’s a lot of mutual respect.

“He’s a good friend,” Goff said of Mayfield, who has the Buccaneers off to a 5-1 start despite several key injuries at the skill positions. “(I have) a ton of respect for him. I think we both kind of — I don’t want to speak for him but — (we) can recognize that there’s some dark days in that transition and coming out the other side of it for both of us.

“A lot of respect from my end for sure and I hope he’d say the same. … I’m a big fan of his and he’s done a great job.”

Goff began his resurgence a few seasons before Mayfield latched on with the Buccaneers, but their stories are similar. They’re both former top picks who were cast off by the teams that drafted them and had their reputations dragged through the mud on their way out of town.

It took Mayfield a few more stops — he spent seven games with the Carolina Panthers before taking over the Rams’ starting job down the stretch of the 2022 season — but they arrived at the same destination: with a team that wanted them.

In Mayfield’s first two seasons with the Buccaneers, the team won the NFC South both years and reached the playoffs. The Lions beat the Buccaneers in the 2023 NFC divisional round to advance to the NFC Championship. Goff has also led the Lions to consecutive division titles.

“I think they’re both tough,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “Like to me they’re both really tough, dependable, resilient guys. I think both of them have overcome a lot. I think when you watch those guys and just the nature of the way they play — like, our quarterback will sit in there, he’ll make throws (when) he’s getting crunched in the pocket and has to deliver the ball. He’s not afraid of that.”

Mayfield, who’s about to face the Lions for the fourth time since joining the Buccaneers in 2023, returned the admiration in his weekly press conference.

“I love Jared. Great guy. Like I’ve told you guys before, from somebody that can relate to needing a fresh start somewhere else, it’s good to see that story,” Mayfield said. “Everybody loves a good underdog story, whatever it is, go through adversity, come through on the other side stronger. That’s life, and that’s what football can teach you.”

Now, the two are set to duel it out in what’s sure to be one of the most riveting “Monday Night Football” games of the season.

Goff enters Monday Week 7 with the league lead in completion percentage (75.9%) and passing touchdowns (14) and second in passer rating (120.6). Mayfield, meanwhile is tied for fourth in passing touchdowns (12), fourth in passing yards (1,539), and sixth in passer rating (108.5), all while being without two of his top receivers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, for most of the season.

Mayfield is third in MVP odds (+325, BetMGM) and Goff is fourth (+1500), while both are under new offensive coordinators. For Mayfield, he’s with his third offensive coordinator (Josh Grizzard) in three seasons.

The Lions and Buccaneers have met three times since Mayfield arrived in Tampa. Over those three games, Mayfield is 57-for-97 passing (58.8%) for an average of 246.7 yards with four total touchdowns and four interceptions. He added 70 rushing yards in those three games.

Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said Mayfield is the type of player who’d fit well in Detroit.

“He’s everything that we’re about here,” Sheppard said. “He’s a tough guy to deal with because when it seems like there’s nothing there, he finds a way to pull his team through. So, he makes that thing go. The coordinators are smart because they don’t try to change much, they understand what works for him and they carried over.

“There’s some nuances that changed motion-wise, schematically, but for the most part it’s Baker’s show.”

Whatever happens Monday night, this could only be a preview for an even bigger matchup down the road. The Lions and Buccaneers have been two of the NFL’s strongest organizations over the last handful of years, and there’s plenty of reasons to believe that they’ll be at their best when January rolls around.

Chief among them, however, is the rock-solid quarterback play.

“They both deliver in critical moments,” Campbell said. “They don’t get frazzled.”

BALTIMORE — It took two weeks.

Two weeks.

After an offseason in which two of the best coordinators in football landed head-coaching jobs and took half the staff with them, after their All-Pro center retired and a stalwart right guard exited in free agency, and after they were annihilated by the Green Bay Packers in Week 1.

It took exactly two weeks for the Detroit Lions to become the best show on television once again.

Some could even argue it was true a week ago, when the Lions dismantled the Chicago Bears at home, but if you were holding out on buying all the way in because you questioned the strength of competition, well, sorry. You’ve got no choice but to believe now.

This game was complete and total confirmation that the Lions, as we knew them, are here to stay as long as Dan Campbell is the man in charge.

There are no remaining questions about the transition to coordinators John Morton and Kelvin Sheppard. Dead are the theories that it was actually Ben Johnson who was the mastermind of Detroit’s success. This team is every bit as much of a threat to win the Super Bowl as they were last season before the injury struggles set in.

“We have an identity, we have a culture, and nothing’s gonna change that,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said on Tuesday. “I thought Shep did a hell of a job in preparation and calling the game and the players, man, really responded. … John Morton, man. What a great job. And every week they’ve gotten better and better and better, and we’re all figuring each other out now in those roles.”

Detroit led the league in net yards (426) for the second week in a row and was also first in rush yards (224), touchdowns (five) and Expected Points Added per play (+0.31).

Defensively, they fed Lamar Jackson one of the most maddening days of his career, sacking the two-time MVP seven times. According to Jackson himself, there were no crazy tricks or schemes deployed by Sheppard, just a solid plan that was executed at the highest level — and one that is more sustainable than a wacky, new scheme with limited shelf life.

“They were just executing,” Jackson said. “That’s all it was.”

Let’s get the caveats out of the way: Yes, the Ravens were missing their two best pass rushers, which probably played a factor in the offensive line keeping Jared Goff clean for a second straight game. Yes, the Lions still gave up 30 points.

But the fact of the matter is that the Lions made plays at every critical juncture, just as they did all of last season, and looked pretty awesome doing it.

The Lions were three-for-three on fourth down, converting a goal-to-go situation with a tricky pitch play to Jahmyr Gibbs to go up 28-21 and drawing up a 20-yard completion to help ice the game on Detroit’s final drive. The Lions used aggression to seal the game on fourth-and-2 near midfield on a 20-yard completion to Amon-Ra St. Brown.

The offensive line rose from serviceable to elite once again. Offensive tackle Penei Sewell was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded offensive lineman (98.7) in the league in Week 3; guard Tate Ratledge was fourth (91.4) and tackle Taylor Decker was ninth (82.9).

The defense registered a combined 30 pressures, according to PFF, while getting off the field in three plays or less on three different series in the second half.

Both teams left a few big plays on the table, but every football game generally comes down to five or six plays, and it’s usually the better team on the winning side of them. The Lions were that team Monday night, and it’s reasonable to expect them to remain that team going forward.

• Lions cornerback D.J. Reed has so far proven himself worthy of the three-year, $48 million contract he earned in free agency. As Terrion Arnold has struggled to find his footing in Year 2, Reed has been extremely dependable, helping limit the damage as Detroit’s secondary continues to jell.

He’s shown rapid improvement each week — he admittedly wasn’t great in coverage against Green Bay — and put it all together in Sunday’s win, when he allowed just one catch on three targets for a total of seven yards with a pass breakup. Baltimore receiver Zay Flowers, Reed’s top assignment on Monday, had just two catches for 13 yards.

“I thought he did a heck of a job, man. He’s been great for us,” Campbell said. “He’s one of the most veteran guys we have with the exception of (cornerback) Amik (Robertson), who we got last year.”

Reed has also been one of the team’s best run defenders. He had another five tackles with a fumble recovery on Monday after making five tackles the week prior.

“He’s got skins on the wall, he’s a vet, he does it right, he’s a pro. He’s competitive, and I mean, he’s fit right in with us,” Campbell said. “He’s been great for all those guys in the room, great teammate. He’s all about ball.”

• Lions linebacker Jack Campbell has hit a new stride in 2025. He was a dominant force in every phase on Monday night, finishing with a team-high eight tackles with a strip-sack of Jackson on fourth-and-goal.

He played a massive role in helping limit the production of Baltimore running back Derrick Henry, who, outside of a 28-yard rushing touchdown in the opening quarter, had 11 carries for 22 yards.

“First of all, did anybody see Jack’s got a laceration on his mouth? So he’s trying to call plays and blood’s spitting out everywhere, so they were just eating it up,” Campbell said. “This guy, man. He’s a workaholic, and the knowledge for the game, the way he studies the game, he prepares for it, and he’s just playing at a really high level right now.

“We feel like he can do it all. That’s why he doesn’t come off the field. I mean, he can do everything for us.”

• Alright, now let’s quickly talk about some negatives. The Lions beat the Ravens in spite of a poor performance across the board on special teams. The Lions started two drives inside their own 5-yard line, which would ultimately become a point of pride, but was definitely not what you want to see in the moment.

Baltimore ran its third kickoff back to the Baltimore 49-yard line and might have gone the distance had kicker Jake Bates not made the play. The Ravens began a third-quarter drive at the 40 after a kickoff from Bates when out of bounds.

And then, the penalties. Detroit was flagged eight times for 68 yards compared to three penalties for 31 yards called on Baltimore. All of that combined is a tough recipe for winning on the road.

The Lions obviously made it work, but one has to imagine cleaning up those two areas will be a focal point of the week.

ALLEN PARK — A few short weeks ago, it was easy to believe that Ben Johnson’s return to Ford Field would be a high-intensity slugfest between teams looking to establish dominance as the division’s top dog.

Instead, both teams are simply hoping to avoid starting 0-2 on the season and in the NFC North. The Lions lost at Green Bay, 27-13, on Sunday, and the Bears blew a second-half lead to fall, 27-24, to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.

That certainly does not lessen the stakes in a matchup between the apprentice, Johnson, and his coaching master, Dan Campbell. If anything, it might amplify them.

“We’re going in, getting ready to play Chicago, we’re going to win this game, we have to,” Campbell said earlier this week. “We’ve got to find a way to clean things up and do what we’ve got to do and they’re going to try to do the same thing. It’s like every week.”

After three successful seasons guiding the Lions’ offense, Johnson took the next step in his career by becoming the coach of the Bears in January. From 2022-24, the Lions were first in points scored and net yards.

There doesn’t appear to be any bad blood about Johnson choosing to further his career in the same division as Detroit. But Lions general manager Brad Holmes did say on an episode of the Green Light Podcast that he wondered, “Why Chicago?” when Johnson initially departed.

Earlier this week, Campbell called Johnson “my friend” and said, “Nothing about that’s going to change.” The two go back even further than their time spent in Detroit (2021-24). Campbell and Johnson overlapped for four seasons (2012-15) in Miami, where Campbell was primarily the tight ends coach and Johnson was an assistant quarterbacks coach. When Campbell became Miami’s interim head coach in 2015, Johnson assumed his duties as the tight end coach.

“We texted back and forth a few weeks ago. We have been in touch. That friendship is always going to be there. I view him like family, and I think he would tell you the same thing. That’ll never change,” Johnson said this week. “We have fond memories of back when I was just a young snot-nosed computer punk, as he likes to call it, in Miami. I feel like we have both grown up in this profession of coaching.”

But while there might not be any bad blood between the two staffs, Johnson’s decision to continue his career in a place where he’d play the Lions twice a year — and stand directly in the way of the Lions achieving their goals — has left a bad taste in the mouth of some fans.

Johnson classified his choice to go to Chicago as “a tough decision.”

“Everything, last year, ran through my head. That was one of the unfortunate parts of making that decision, you were saying goodbye to a lot of friends and a great place. My family, myself, we have a lot of strong relationships there in that community,” Johnson said this week.

“Hopefully, that continues to stay that way, as well. But, we felt like this was the best opportunity for myself and my family, and we were really excited about coming to Chicago. At times, you have to make tough decisions, and that’s really how that one went down.”

From an on-the-field standpoint, Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said it’ll be just like training camp. Sheppard was the team’s linebackers coach when Johnson was engaging in those intense, daily battles against former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, but he knows Johnson well all the same.

Asked what Johnson’s strengths are, Sheppard said, “Everything. Next question.”

“Listen, we all understand and respect Ben Johnson as a person, more importantly, but also as a play caller,” Sheppard said. “It’s why he got afforded the opportunity he’s in and we all understand this.”

Johnson was (and still is) a highly calculated man who pay the utmost attention to the details. Lions linebacker Jack Campbell provided proof of this.

He told reporters on Friday that he’d been asking guys on the offensive side of the ball about Johnson’s offense and what some potential points of emphasis would be.

Asked to elaborate, Campbell said, “I don’t know. I know Ben’s gonna read this, or some Chicago Bears person is gonna read this,” before moving on to the next question.

On the offensive side of the ball, several players spoke about what Johnson did for their careers.

“I love Ben. I’ll never really have anything bad to say about him because of what he did for me as a player, what he did for this team,” receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said. “I remember, when I first got here as a rookie, he was a tight ends coach. They promoted him, to I think pass game coordinator, my rookie year.

“I feel like ever since he stepped in that role, I got more catches, more opportunities. He believed in me. He trusted me. And just seeing the work ethic that he had, I respect him as a coach, as a man. I love Ben, but there’s two games out of the year where I want him to fail.”

Lions receiver Jameson Williams, who was with Johnson for the first three years of his career, called Johnson “a great guy.”

“He taught me a lot, how to approach the game, how to learn the game, we talked a lot. I talked to him a couple times this offseason, just checking up on my little guy over there, (Bears rookie receiver) Luther Burden III, my little brother. They got (former Lions receiver Maurice Alexander) over there, so I was just calling him and I end up talking to Ben somehow,” Williams said, laughing.

“But I appreciate everything he’s done for me. He’s helped me a lot.”

Ultimately, an intimate knowledge of each other’s tendencies is not likely to enhance either side’s chances of winning the game, Dan Campbell said. He’s not getting caught up in worrying about Johnson’s trick plays, or what he might do to throw the Lions off their game. Both coaches reiterated in some form, “This game is about us.”

“I think we’re on equal playing ground really. I think it’s the same thing. He knows what we’re about, we know what he’s about and because of that you’re going to play that game a little bit,” Campbell said. “But the game doesn’t matter if you don’t master the basics inside the game, and so that’s what we have to get back to.”

That might be true, but the familiarity will certainly make the contest a lot more enjoyable to watch.