Lions’ Dan Campbell points finger at himself after brutal loss to Vikings
As there were rumors around the Detroit Lions regarding the trade deadline and the moves that could be made, the team would lose against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, 27-24, before any changes could take effect. Lions head coach Dan Campbell would have a brutally honest assessment regarding the tough loss, most holding themselves accountable when speaking to the media.
After the contest, Campbell would point the finger at himself, highlighting many areas of the game that were not effective, saying that it falls on the head coach to clean it up. One facet he mentioned was the number of penalties as Detroit recorded 10 in the game that cost the team 76 yards.
“We did everything we needed to do to lose that game,” Campbell said, according to Eric Woodyard of ESPN. “We made every critical area you need to at the right time to lose it, a perfect storm. You know, when you don’t play well in all three phases, that falls on the head coach. That’s me. So I did not have them ready coming out of the bye. You know, we weren’t; we made too many critical errors. Man, some of our discipline and penalties caught up to us. We just, and there were some things we were out of sync. We’d never looked comfortable.”
Dan Campbell on the mistakes of the Lions
Looking at the offensive side of the ball, which gets a lot of attention, the Lions’ explosive running back duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for only 65 yards. That is no doubt an eye-sore for the team to look at later, as well as the passing game, though Jared Goff threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns.
“We just didn’t make enough plays, you know. We had multiple opportunities to set ourselves up to have a chance to win that game, and we made none of theM, really,” Campbell said. “So that’s, you know, I’m going to clean some stuff up so…and we will, I will. We did have some guys that played pretty well, but it was just too much.”
“The penalties, you know, the turnovers in inopportune times,” Campbell continued. “Really, really bit us there, you know, defense gets put in us in tough spots. I mean, but again, we expect our defense to get stops, a sudden change. We just did not handle the day well.”
At any rate, Detroit now is at a 5-3 record, looking to bounce back against the Washington Commanders next Sunday.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders’ Injury Appears More Serious Than Expected
The injury that knocked Shedeur Sanders out of the Cleveland Browns’ Week 8 matchup against the New England Patriots appears more serious than initially believed.
Sanders was a late addition to the injury report prior to a matchup with the Patriots with a back injury. He travelled with the team and tested it out pregame. However, he did not suit up, with Bailey Zappe assuming the backup role behind Dillon Gabriel.
“He obviously came in on Saturday with his back injury. We were hopeful that he’d be able to move around well enough to suit up on Sunday. But, put him through a pre-game warm-up, and obviously just didn’t feel like he was ready to play,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “But he’s getting better every day and I’m hopeful that he’ll continue to improve.”
Sanders told reporters after the game that it wasn’t his decision to sit out and that he’d be ready after the bye week.
It remains unclear how Sanders suffered the injury. But he’s working hard to get back on the field. Sanders recently travelled to Colorado to surprise his dad, Deion Sanders. In a video released by Well Off Media — run by Deion Sanders Jr. — Shedeur is seen undergoing rehab on the flight and at the facility in Colorado.
Shedeur initially said he would remain in Cleveland for the bye week to receive treatment. But he just took the show on the road for his brief stop in Colorado.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Will Have to Wait for Opportunity
Gabriel has not been able to spark the offense in his four starts. He’s posted a 1-3 record, passing for 702 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Gabriel is averaging just 4.9 yards per attempt, which is near the bottom of the league.
But Cleveland will continue to stick with Gabriel as the starter coming out of the bye week. Stefanski pointed to broader offensive issues, emphasizing that the team’s struggles go beyond just the quarterback position and that multiple areas need improvement.
“Playing good on offense is about 11 guys on the field and us as coaches doing our job,” Stefanski said. “Obviously, young players will learn in each outing that they’re out there. I think Dillon will continue to learn and get better, but it’s really an entire offensive thing where we all need to be better.”
When asked about Sanders getting a chance to play, Stefanski said it’s not his current “focus.”
Browns QB Dillon Gabriel ‘Must Show Improvement’
The Browns are 2-6, and their offense has become nearly unwatchable. However, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot believes Dillon Gabriel will have at least four more games on his “leash” before the team considers turning to Sanders.
“I think the Browns need to give Gabriel a little more time to come up the learning curve and develop more timing and rhythm with his skill players before they sit him down. I would think they’d want to give him at least another four games or so before seeing what Shedeur Sanders can do down the stretch if he’s ready,” Cabot said. “But Gabriel must show improvement in the passing game and put some points on the board to keep his job.
“It’s not fair to the defense or the rest of the team to field a quarterback who isn’t getting the job done when there are alternatives.”
Next up for the Browns is a road matchup against the one-win New York Jets — a prime opportunity for Gabriel to get back on track against one of the league’s most porous defenses.
