It didn't take long for the Detroit Lions to jump on top of a depleted Washington Commanders team. After forcing a Commanders punt on the opening drive, Jahmyr Gibbs scored the game's first touchdown. An Amon-Ra St. Brown score and a second Gibbs touchdown made the game 22-3 midway through the second quarter.
Detroit's offense looks much more in synch than it did in Week 9, and there may be a reason for that, as Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
"Lions HC Dan Campbell has a play sheet and is doing the talking into the headset in between plays," Garafolo reports on X. "Lots of indications of a disconnect between OC John Morton and the players and coaches. Campbell appears to have taken over offensive play calling, which he indicated was possible."
The Lions' offense struggled in Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings, going just 5-of-17 on third down in the 27-24 loss, and mustering just 65 yards on the ground - they already have 97 yards rushing with over nine minutes remaining in the second quarter.
As Ben Solak of ESPN notes, almost half of the Lions' worst offensive games in the Dan Campbell era have been with Morton calling plays.
"The Lions have played 80 games under Campbell," Solak writes on X. "3 of their worst 8 offensive performances (by success rate) have been this year. Offense has felt highly herky-jerky, which (as Mike says) is indicative of a disconnect."
Considering how dominant Detroit looks thus far against Washington, the change already feels like a good one.
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