CHARLOTTE -- Dan Campbell wouldn't go there. Not yet, at least.
He said he'd exhaust all options, searching for answers to improve a defense that's found none. He said the Lions will look at everything. He said he didn't want to go into panic mode with 13 games to go.
"That's not the right thing to do," Campbell said, after the Lions' 32-26 loss to the Panthers on Sunday night. "I just don't believe that. I never have."
Well then, what does Campbell believe in? Because it certainly can't be his defense. They've given us nothing to believe in.
On Sunday night, the Panthers were the latest team to tee off on the Lions' defense -- the NFL's worst through the first quarter of the season. The Lions have a way of making every opposing QB look like an All-Pro. Bryce Young was no exception. He threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns, extending plays with his legs and exposing the heart of Detroit's defense with RPOs all night. Tetairoa McMillan caught 14 passes for 192 yards and both of Young's touchdown passes. Chuba Hubbard rushed for 120 yards and scored twice himself. The Lions allowed 12 explosive plays, 445 yards of offense, 32 points and failed to record a turnover. A disastrous night, and a continuation of everything that's plagued this defense in 2026.
The Lions have been in the bottom five of almost every mainstream defensive category and plenty of advanced metrics.
Take your pick. There's something for everyone.
Points per game allowed: 31.8 (last)
Yards per game allowed: 423.8 (last)
Yards per play allowed: 5.9 (28th)
Passing yards per game allowed: 304 (last)
Explosive play rate allowed: 15.3 percent (last)
Explosive run rate allowed: 13 percent (last)
Explosive pass rate allowed: 18.2 percent (29th)
Defensive success rate: 51.1 percent (last)
Defensive rushing success rate: 54.3 percent (last)
Defensive EPA per dropback: -0.32 (30th)
Defensive EPA per dropback vs. man: -0.69 (29th)
Defensive EPA per dropback vs. zone: -0.24 (28th)
Touchdown rate allowed: 40.5 percent (last)
Red-zone touchdown rate: 82.4 percent (31st)
Goal-to-go rate: 100 percent (last)
Third-down conversion rate allowed: 52.8 percent (last)
Fourth-down conversion rate allowed: 100 percent (last)
You didn't need those numbers to tell you it's been bad. Your eyes do all the talking. It's reached a point where you're more surprised when the defense gets a stop.
After slowing down the Panthers on their first possession, Carolina went on to score a touchdown or field goal on five consecutive drives. McMillan was a matchup nightmare from the slot, where he did most of his damage attacking the middle of the field. Detroit's linebackers often seemed confused by the RPO game Carolina threw at them. When blitzes were dialed up, they came from depth and weren't disguised, which allowed Carolina to attack the vacated zones. And when the Lions felt like they were holding up in the pass game, an explosive run gashed them.
Factor in an offense that crossed midfield eight times but came away with just two touchdowns, sloppy penalties, and failure of a final drive with a chance to somehow win and the Lions didn't have enough Sunday night. Not when their defense is playing like this.
So, who's to blame for this mess? Probably a few candidates. You can start with the players. The Lions have several high-priced defenders who aren't playing like it. They'll be the first to admit that. Some performances, like the Buffalo game and the game last night, weren't up to par with the talent and track record we've seen from leaders on this defense. That speaks to execution. But it's far from the entire story.
There are clear and obvious weaknesses that can almost certainly be traced back to the secondary. Entering Week 3, the Lions recorded the second-fastest average time to pressure at 2.46 seconds, per Next Gen Stats. Their defensive line generates pressure with four and generates it quickly. And yet, this defense has allowed the highest explosive play rate in the league because of what's happening on the back end.
The Lions are playing more zone than they have in previous years -- up to a whopping 78.1 percent, per TruMedia -- and just 15.6 percent man. They were at 32.2 percent man from 2021-25, and just 62.2 percent zone back then. It's possible the Lions are hoping to protect their weakened secondary by having the players see what's in front of them, rather than turning and running with receivers. However, they've recorded the fifth-worst EPA per dropback in zone coverage (-0.24), with plenty of coverage busts and free runners over the middle.
This all feels like it's come at the expense of their linebackers. Meanwhile, in man coverage, they've been even worse. Per Sumer Sports, opposing QBs have completed 22-of-30 pass attempts for seven TDs, with a 0.61 EPA/dropback and a 58.3 percent success rate vs. Detroit's man defense.
In other words, they're a zone defense that's bad at zone. And even worse in man.
Ask players on this defense what their identity is, and they'll struggle to provide answers.
A matching style might've been feasible if the Lions had the personnel to make it happen. They were in on the Joey Porter Jr. sweepstakes, as Campbell noted last week when asked. Porter Jr. was traded to the Cowboys for a 2028 second-rounder and a 2027 sixth. Costly for a player who might only be a rental, but manageable.
It was notable that Campbell confirmed the interest in Porter Jr., because trade discussions are not a topic he typically touches. Whatever Detroit's offer was, it wasn't enough to land one of the league's better man corners. And while Porter might not have solved all the Lions' problems, his presence at minimum lets you play a style you're more familiar with and sends a message -- to the team, the organization and the fanbase -- that inaction won't be tolerated.
That missed opportunity, followed up with a performance like this and minimal ensuing changes, says it will.
If Porter cost too much, the Lions need to explore alternative trade avenues. 2024 first-round pick Terrion Arnold was released by the team in June after his arrest in connection to a kidnapping and robbery incident. Safeties Kerby Joseph (knee) and Brian Branch (Achilles) still haven't returned to practice after landing on the PUP list at the start of training camp.
Detroit used most of its best resources this offseason to fix the offensive line (Cade Mays, Larry Borom, Blake Miller) and address the defensive line (D.J. Wonnum, Derrick Moore), two positions no one would argue needed help. But when it came to a secondary with real and looming questions, there seemed to be a lack of urgency. Arnold faced the possibility of beginning the season on the Commissioner's Exempt List, whether he was on the team or not. Rock Ya-Sin, the 30-year-old journeyman who was Arnold's replacement, has already been benched. Reed has been on the wrong end of far too many explosives. Roger McCreary has been a liability on the outside and at nickel. And at safety, both Avonte Maddox (out for the season with a foot injury) and Thomas Harper (on injured reserve for an ankle injury) are both unavailable. This group, collectively, has not been good enough. That's on Brad Holmes and the front office.
At this point, there's reason to question the job security of defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and this staff. If players are being asked to play more zone, they need to be taught how to do it. That clearly hasn't been happening. Or at the very least, the coaching staff is still figuring out what their players can and can't do. So far, it's been a whole lot of can't.
Some of Detroit's DB blitzes have been downright puzzling: The Lions are allowing a passer rating of 124.1 when blitzing (seventh-worst). This unit can't get off the field on third down, fourth down, in the red zone or in goal-to-go situations. They say they want to limit explosives, but they lead the league in explosives allowed. They used to hang their hat on defending the run, but they own the worst defensive rushing success rate in the league.
Campbell's not ready to go there, but there is precedent for mid-season defensive changes under his watch. While it didn't come at the coordinator level, former DBs coach Aubrey Pleasant was relieved of his duties in Week 8 of the 2022 season after a 1-6 start. Campbell said it was a "production-based business" when answering for the change.
Well, where exactly is the production right now? You can say it's only Week 4, but the stakes are different now than they were then. If the Lions make Jacoby Brissett, the QB with the luxury of facing this defense next, look like '07 Tom Brady next week, then what?
This isn't an upstart Lions team finding its way. It's a group that's been here for years, came within striking distance of a Super Bowl three seasons ago and hasn't come close since. This defense has more talent than the 2022 Lions did. The Lions have a lighter schedule, and an offense that can score 30 most weeks. They're better than this. At least, they think they are.
"I mean, you guys know the obvious," Jack Campbell said. "We're not running from it. We're taking it on and looking ourselves in the mirror."
"There's some things we can mix in here that we haven't done a ton of this year and that's next step," Campbell said. "Let's see what we can do. I want to exhaust everything here. Let's exhaust everything we have. … Let's look at it and let's get it fixed."
At what point can you no longer wait? At what point will this team run out of mirrors to stare at and options to exhaust? At what point is enough enough?
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
