After an embarrassing 16-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11, Detroit Lions‘ head coach Dan Campbell took the blame for the loss. He admitted that his playcalling had issues that made it tough for the team. However, he quickly shifted blame when asked about one of the team’s five unsuccessful fourth-down attempts.

“We wanted that,” Campbell said when asked about whether they should have avoided the fake punt in the second quarter. “And we felt like there were enough consistent looks to where we were going to be able to get that. We knew it’d be a little bit of a bloodbath, but yet we felt good about the looks going into that week.”

“They were ready and we were not as good as we can be blocking that up front either,” he said on 97.1 The Ticket on Tuesday morning, while explaining that the team didn’t do a good job in executing the block.

On Sunday Night Football, the Lions tried a fake punt in the second quarter. But as the play unfolded, it was clear the Eagles still had their starting defense on the field. So the moment felt confusing, and it left people wondering why the Lions thought a trick play would work against a unit that wasn’t fooled for a second.

During that play, Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo penetrated on the left side of the line, and outside linebacker Jalyx Hunt tackled linebacker Grant Stuard right at the line of scrimmage. The Lions turned the ball over on downs, which led to the Eagles using the field position to kick a field goal.

Stuard later explained that the Eagles defended it differently than they had expected.

“I liked the look so I kept it on, but they just did something different than they’ve done all year on tape post-snap,” he said.

This wasn’t the only issue. Coach Campbell also addressed the struggles of Lions quarterback Jared Goff during the game. Goff completed 14 of 37 passes for 255 yards and one touchdown.

When asked whether his inaccuracy was related to his gloves, Campbell denied all those claims.

“No, listen, he’s played with the glove plenty,” Campbell said.

“But when everything is just off a little bit — from that to the pressures that are there or the precision of the routes, the depth, the technique, all of these, to my play calls — then, man, it doesn’t help. It doesn’t help, and it becomes the perfect storm. We were a little off and just couldn’t ever really find it, find that true balance, and that was it.”

While he admitted his play-calling played a role, it remains unclear whether he will adjust his approach in the next game.

Dan Campbell addressed the issues, focusing on the positives

Dan Campbell, who only took over playcalling duties from offensive coordinator John Morton earlier this month, knows his aggressive style backfired in the loss to the Eagles. And he owned that right away. But even with a rough night, he’s not backing off the way he coaches. He goes for it on fourth down more than anyone, and on a cold, windy night in Philly, the Lions came up empty on all five tries.

Campbell said the offense struggled across the board – missed throws, pressure, tipped balls, drops, while admitting, “There were also some bad calls by me — some calls I want back.”

Early in the game, Detroit went for it twice deep in its own territory. The first one only hurt field position, but the second set up an Eagles field goal. Campbell answered right after, though, when Jared Goff hit two big throws for a quick touchdown. That spark didn’t last.

After that score, Goff cooled off, and the offense kept stalling. Drops, missed connections, and tough fourth-down situations piled up, but Campbell kept leaning on his identity, especially with the wind making field goals risky. He said those manageable fourth-down spots are usually where they thrive, and while it didn’t break their way this time, he wasn’t about to change who he is as a coach.

“There have been a lot of times where it has gone right for us.”

However, these bright spots couldn’t mask the larger problems that led to the Lions’ loss. For instance, Goff was sacked twice and hit seven times during the game. So, while the coach might not change his aggressive play-calling approach, facing the New York Giants in Week 12 could either work in the Lions’ favor or create big trouble.