The Detroit Lions made a change that may rechart their course through the rest of the season. When Dan Campbell whipped out the glasses and started calling some plays, the changes were immediate.
Thanks to Campbell’s shake-up, against the Commanders in Week 10, the Lions, for the first time all season, scored on the opening two drives. They continued by scoring on every drive of the game, but a blind man could have seen the changes that were happening by then.
How Campbell’s Play-Calling Worked
The Lions fans have grown accustomed to over the last two seasons were back. Dan Campbell threw in his flair of inconsistency, chaos, and distribution. After the game, Campbell said, “I knew what I wanted to do. I knew how I wanted to do it.”
The inconsistency in play-calling and distribution of the ball has gone hand-in-hand for the Lions this year. Against the Commanders, Kalif Raymond had his most targets of the season with four, and caught all of them for 49 total yards.
Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery split the carries evenly this week for the first time all season. Typically, Gibbs takes the outside runs while Montgomery forces himself up the middle, but each did a little of both on Sunday.
Jameson Williams had himself a night with a flip-six. This was his shortest touchdown of the season, and the third-shortest of his career.
Why is that significant? It showcases how he was used differently. Normally, on a red-zone pass, Goff tosses a screen to a running back, lets Sam LaPorta sneak by unnoticed, or hangs it up in the air for Amon-Ra St. Brown. Williams switched from a speedy deep-pass receiver and red-zone blocker into a 14-yard untouchable menace.
Dan Skipper, the offensive tackle, reported as eligible twice on the first drive and even ran some routes. Touches like his keep the defense on their toes just enough for the ball to move. Add in a few tricky line-ups, and the Lions gave themself a nice edge.
How Can It Keep Working
Dan Campbell flipped the script for the rest of the season. The offense once again became more productive than the factories in Detroit. With the Philadelphia Eagles, who are coming off an out-of-character game with the Green Bay Packers, up next, it is time to retest the offense with Campbell as the play caller to see what the Lions can do.
The match-up against Philadelphia has been anticipated since last season’s NFC Championship game. The finesse that comes with Campbell’s plays helped the offensive line hold off the Commanders, and this will be a key factor against the Eagles.
Evidently, the Eagles have a strong defense, but Campbell can keep the ball rolling against a team that seems to lose momentum quickly.
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