In "Sunday Night Football," the Detroit Lions entered the game as favorites to win, but walked away with a disappointing 32-26 loss to the Carolina Panthers. The Lions briefly held a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter, but never led again, as the Panthers continually found ways to stay ahead of Detroit. The game was tied at halftime before Carolina outscored Detroit 13-3 in the third quarter and held off a Lions' potential comeback in the fourth.
After the loss, head coach Dan Campbell was asked whether he would consider making a change at defensive coordinator to address his team's defensive struggles. "I’m not talking about all that. I’m talking about getting better right now with what we’ve got.
And that’s what we’re gonna do," Campbell said postgame when asked about making a defensive coordinator change. More news: Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence Hits Impressive Career Milestone in Win Over Bengals Defense has been the biggest issue facing Campbell's Lions this season. They rank last in the NFL, allowing 423.8 yards of offense and 31.8 points per game.
In Sunday night's game, the Panthers recorded 28 first downs, converted five of their 12 third-down attempts, and both fourth-down attempts. Detroit just couldn't stop Bryce Young and company from moving down the field, as they scored on six consecutive possessions. Former NFL linebacker Kelvin Sheppard is the Lions' current defensive coordinator, and just four games into the season, Campbell doesn't appear ready for a change.
"My job is to get guys going, man, and we've got guys on the back end that can cover, we've got guys that can hit, and we've gotta pull this thing together and find the right combination of coverage versus pressure and job responsibility, putting guys in the right spot to do what they do," Campbell said, calling it "a work in progress" after four games. At 2-2, the Lions aren't in trouble, but those defensive issues could hold them back from contending for the playoffs, let alone making a run at the Super Bowl. More news: Dak Prescott Ties Hall of Famer Roger Staubach for Cowboys Career Milestone For more about the Detroit Lions and the NFL, visit Newsweek Sports.
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