Head coach Dan Campbell quietly took over the offensive playcalling duties in the game against the Washington Commanders. This role was handled by offensive coordinator John Morton, who had the playsheet but wasn’t always communicating through the headset. Coach Campbell later confirmed it while revealing the real reason behind the switch.

“Now that being said, this is a collaborative effort now,”  he said when asked about the change. “I was taking input from John Morton that whole time, and the other coaches. ‘Man, what do you think here, third-down.’ This is all-encompassing.”

The third down has been an issue for the offense. After their disappointing 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings,  coach Campbell stressed the issue with playcalling and that the team lacked rhythm. So, he added that he planned a change that could help the offense.

“Coaches did a hell of a job. But I just wanted to change it up a little bit,” he said.

“Let’s just see if maybe a different playcaller get a slow rhythm? That’s all, and it honestly is nothing more than that.”

This worked out well for the Lions, as they clinched a 44–22 win over the Commanders. Quarterback Jared Goff completed 25 of 33 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns. The big difference? For the first time in the last five games, Goff didn’t take a single sack.

The QB was impressed with the coach’s decision.

“I thought he did a great job. I really did,” he said. “It’s hard, certainly, it’s his first time doing it since that first year. It’s been a long time since he’s done it. He did a great job getting plays in on time, getting personnels in, switching up the tempos. He was great.”

Goff had been sacked five times in Week 9 and 14 times across the previous four games, so Coach Campbell’s urgency was understandable. And, as Goff mentioned, this isn’t the first time Campbell has stepped in to handle play-calling duties. Back in Week 10 of the 2021 season, he took over the role from then-offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn in an effort to spark the offense.

He handled it for the rest of the season. But this was the end of Lynn’s tenure. He was replaced by Ben Johnson the following season.

Now, what does this mean for Coach Morton? The Lions’ continued offensive struggles in the last few weeks saw the OC get criticized by the fans and perhaps his players, too.

Offensive struggles landed John Morton in hot water

A play-calling change doesn’t necessarily mean the Lions are preparing to replace their offensive coordinator. However, Morton has faced heavy criticism amid the team’s ongoing offensive struggles. After the loss to the Vikings, Coach Campbell had even pointed out that communication issues were part of the problem.

However, Morton dismissed the claim.

“Our communication has been really good, ever since the Green Bay game (Week 1),” he said. “It’s been really good.”

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He later added that the offense struggled with physicality. But it wasn’t just the coach. The Lions players also seemed to have an issue. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown pointed out that the unit struggled with flow.

“For us as an offense, the word that sticks out to me is flow,” Brown told Will Burchfield.

“I feel like we haven’t been in a flow all year. There’s been a few games where we were in a flow, like the Bears, the Ravens. But I just feel like that’s been missing…rhythm, execution, as a whole.”

While the offense had started the season well, problems have emerged in recent weeks. Running back David Montgomery managed only four carries in the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, and wide receiver Jameson Williams has continued to struggle for opportunities in Morton’s system.

Although the coaching staff has addressed several concerns, there’s still plenty of work to be done. Whether coach Campbell continues calling plays in the upcoming games will give more clarity on the Lions’ direction for the rest of the season.