The Lions' offense is back in the hands of Dan Campbell.
Campbell confirmed after the Lions' 44-22 rout of the Commanders in which they churned out a season-high 546 yards that he has taken over play-calling from offensive coordinator John Morton. Campbell made the decision the day after the Lions' Week 9 loss to the Vikings.
"It was just, let’s try something a little different," Campbell said. "Look, I know what I want to do, I know how I want to do it. Now, that being said, this is a collaborative effort. I was taking input from John Morton that whole time (on Sunday) and the other coaches. ... But I just wanted to change it up a little bit. Let’s just see if maybe a different play-caller can get us a little rhythm, that’s all."
The Lions scored touchdowns on their first three drives, rushed for a season-high 226 yards and never punted. Campbell, who also took over play-calling from then-offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn in the second half of the 2021 season, said he told Morton in an "honest" conversation that, "Man, I need you, but I feel like this is something that I’m going to do."
"Look, when you’re the head coach and you know how you want it to look, it’s one thing to say (that) but it’s hard to crawl into my head. You have your own vision for it and sometimes it’s all-encompassing, man, the way you run the ball, the way you play-pass, the way you boot, the drop-backs. You’re just trying to hit from all sides. I have a good feel of our players and I know what we’re capable of, I know what they’re capable of. That’s the best way to say it."
The Lions on Sunday were unstoppable. On top of their success running the ball, Jared Goff threw for 320 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. Five players caught multiple passes, led by Jameson Williams' six catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. It was against a Commanders defense that entered the game ranked 28th in the NFL, but the Lions were both explosive and efficient from the start.
Campbell said he thought "long and hard" about calling plays from the outset this season after former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson left to become head coach of the Bears. He decided at first to delegate that duty to Morton because as much as Campbell enjoys play-calling as an offensive mind, "I also know, man, it’s going to require a lot of me. That’s the holdback, is that wherever your resources go, you’re losing them somewhere else. That’s the hard thing. That’s the reality of a head coach who calls plays."
"But it’s like anything else: when you do it, you adjust and you start figuring out what you need to do, how you need to do it, to become more efficient," said Campbell. "And it’s ultimately about what’s right for the team, always. Nothing else matters. So, I feel good with where we’re at. I wasn’t perfect. Goff bailed me out of some stuff today. But I like the set-up of the staff, I think the players are in a good place and I think we can grow from here, I really do."
The Lions entered the game ranked 25th in the NFL in third down conversion rate. They went 5-for-10 against Washington after going 5-for-17 in last week's loss to the Vikings. Most of their third downs were of the manageable variety: only one required 10 yards or more. They faced six third downs of 10-plus yards against the Vikings.
Campbell reiterated that Morton "is all team, man. That’s all he cares about. He just wants to win, he wants to be a part of it, he wants to help where he can, and he was outstanding today. He’s a grinder, he’s a worker, and he just tries to help give you anything that you can possibly need for the game."
"Look, if you're him, of course it probably doesn't feel too good (to lose play-calling duties), but he’s also a pro and he understands everything, so we move on. And there was no guarantee that anything was going to change today, but the guys did a hell of a job. Our players were outstanding today."