Don’t panic, don’t panic. We’re just getting started, Detroit Lions fans, so don’t panic.
After Sunday’s 44-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Lions fans may not want to get behind that French Montana lyric. There’s a good reason for that, too. In over a decade’s lowest attendance for a Lions game at Ford Field, the Detroit Lions took quite the tail-whipping. And as expected, their fanbase stormed to social media to voice their frustrations. Because on Halloween, they witnessed a spooky lack of effort.
It was brutal, sad, and cringeworthy.
Now, in my opinion, the problem isn’t that the Eagles, of all teams, hung 44 points on them. Because even though they went into Sunday’s game with a 2-5 record, the Eagles have talent on their roster. So that isn’t the issue.
For me, the problem is how the Eagles dominated the Lions. From start to finish, Nick Sirianni and his staff outcoached Dan Campbell and his. For four quarters, they outclassed them.
“I really felt like we were flat,” Dan Campbell told reporters after the game. With the Lions now 0-8, Campbell fielded questions about the team’s effort and whether his message resonated after the game.
“I’m not worried about my message. Now—well, I guess maybe I should be worried about my message, right? When you come out and play like this, that’s why you’re asking that, right? I’m not worried about losing this team. I’m not worried about that.”
“I am worried about that I didn’t deliver the right message to get them ready to go. That’s what I’m worried [about]—that’s what concerns me about what I did. Not that I don’t have the right message, or that I can’t get this team back up, or that I don’t—that’s not what I’m concerned about.”
As the leader and voice of the team, Dan Campbell is standing in the fire and taking responsibility for the Lions’ play and effort, but is it getting old?
As he has all season, Dan Campbell took the blame for how his team has played. It’s admirable because that’s what a coach should do. He’s not losing his cool or being snarky. He’s not throwing players under a bus.
Week after week, however, it’s the same thing. It’s the same message. On top of losing games, the Lions are showing minimal signs of improvement every week. The team is on a downward spiral outside of Duce Staley’s job coaching the running backs and Aaron Glenn piecing together an overachieving defense.
Campbell has made head-scratching coaching decisions that have taken the Lions out of games. Offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn has yet to develop a game plan to get points on the board in the first half. And to top it off, Jared Goff is regressing at a rapid pace.
Dan Campbell has to take a hard look at this team.
During this down time, he and his staff have to gameplan how to finish this season with an identity––something they’ve yet to establish so far. For starters, they need to have a heart to heart with Jared Goff. Granted the Lions are devoid of playmakers at wide receiver, but he has to play better. In four of the last five games, he’s yet to throw a first half touchdown pass. The excuses and reasons for his lack of production have to end.
At the risk of stating the obvious, the Lions need to figure out how to get a win. Because at this rate, in the first 17-game NFL season, the Lions could finish winless if things don’t change.
And rebuild or not, I highly doubt Campbell or the Detroit Lions organization want to be the first 0-16 and 0-17 team.
Follow Kory Woods on Twitter at KoryEWoods.
