Through four games, opponents are averaging 32 points against Dan Campbell’s defense. The Detroit Lions defense got picked apart again in Sunday night’s loss to the Panthers, and the questions about defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard followed him to the podium.
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Asked how many more performances like that he can take before considering a change at defensive coordinator, Campbell didn’t defend Sheppard or explain himself. He answered in five words.
“Dan Campbell says, ‘I’m not talking about that‘,” Nolan Bianchi posted on X.
Even so, Campbell didn’t shut the door on a change. He made it clear that his support has limits.
“Dan Campbell adds that he does reserve the right to make a change at DC if he feels like it’s right for the team and reiterates that he’s always going to do what’s right for the players,” Bianchi added.
The Lions struggled in coverage from the start on Sunday night. Bryce Young completed 15 of his 20 passes for 178 yards in the first half, and Detroit’s defensive backs had no real answer for Tetairoa McMillan. That gave Carolina several explosive plays, and by halftime McMillan already had nine catches for 147 yards and a touchdown.
The second half brought more of the same. McMillan found the end zone again to open the third quarter, which pushed him to 11 receptions for 162 yards and two touchdowns with 9:33 left in the period. Carolina went up 22-16, though the Panthers’ kicker did miss his second extra point of the game, so Detroit was still within reach.
That’s what made the loss so frustrating. The Lions’ offense played well again, piling up 452 total yards, including 412 through the air from Jared Goff.
The defense gave it all back, allowing 445 yards of its own. McMillan finished with 14 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns, and the Panthers walked out of Bank of America Stadium with a 32-26 win.
Detroit fell to 2-2, and plenty of fans started asking for defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard to be fired.
Dan Campbell didn’t go that route after the game. He didn’t put anyone on notice or hint at staff changes, but he was pretty direct about where things stand on defense.
“It’s not good enough right now. That’s the bottom line. It’s just not good enough,” Campbell said to reporters. “We’ve got to score more points. We’ve got to be more efficient than we’ve been. We got off to a slow start. We had two opportunities there at the end, and we didn’t get it done.
“So we’ve got to be better there, and we have to get takeaways on defense. That’s going to have to be our recipe.”
The numbers back up his concern. Before this game, Detroit had given up a league-high 898 passing yards through three weeks, and Carolina added 318 net passing yards on 29 of 41 passing. The Lions have now allowed at least 24 points in every game this season, including a 41-31 loss at Buffalo in Week 2.
Sheppard is in his sixth season with the Lions and his second as defensive coordinator. He coached the linebackers before he took over the whole unit. His defense has struggled enough that fans are now calling for his job.
Last month, Campbell took the blame on himself and said he still believed in his defensive coordinator despite the slow start.
“I believe he’s an outstanding coach,” Campbell said of Sheppard. “There is a bump in the road.” He added, “I believe they’re the right guys to get this thing done.”
Campbell backed Sheppard last month but after Sunday’s loss, he has made it clear that support has limits.