After their Week 9 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings, the Detroit Lions are grappling with what went wrong and how to improve moving forward. The Vikings’ victory exposed several issues that had previously been overlooked during the Lions’ strong start to the season, and one area that has come into sharper focus is the performance of first-year offensive coordinator John Morton.
Although Morton’s tenure as offensive coordinator hasn’t been a complete failure, there have been noticeable struggles. Lions head coach Dan Campbell also voiced concerns following Sunday’s loss, telling Mike Payton of A to Z Sports that he wished Morton had done more to get wide receiver Jameson Williams and running back Jahmyr Gibbs into space against the Vikings.
“Any time you get Gibbs in space, that’s a good thing for us,” Campbell said in his Monday press conference. “We had a couple of plays for him, but the timing was off. We had some screen plays for Gibbs, but they didn’t work out… The more we can get Jamo and Gibbs in space, the better for our offense.”
Campbell also pointed out that Gibbs was asked to play pass protection more than he would have liked, noting that the running back ended up with a season-high 15 snaps in that role against the Vikings.
“We need to do better,” Campbell continued. “We don’t want Gibbs having to stay in pass protection for a whole game… I don’t want either of our backs doing that, but that was the plan we had to stick to.”
These comments highlight the growing frustration with Morton’s offense, especially after the transition from Ben Johnson, who left for the head coach position with the Chicago Bears. Morton’s first season has had its ups and downs, with fans voicing concerns following a tough opening loss to the Green Bay Packers. While the offense bounced back briefly, scoring 30 or more points in four straight games, the recent slump has brought the spotlight back on Morton.
Over the past three games, the Lions have failed to score more than 24 points, and several issues have emerged, including the underutilization of running back David Montgomery, who had been sidelined at times while Gibbs was forced into pass protection. Additionally, despite wide receiver Jameson Williams recording four catches for 66 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings game, much of that production came from a single 37-yard play, leaving his overall involvement in the offense lacking.
With the offensive line struggling and the team’s issues on third downs persisting, it’s clear the Lions have multiple areas to address. This is especially concerning given that they were coming off a bye week before facing the Vikings.
At the midway point of the season, Detroit faces the challenge of fixing these problems, and with Morton’s offensive scheme still not firing on all cylinders, the Lions may be heading into the crucial second half of the year without all their pieces clicking.
