Lions OC John Morton addresses apparent demotion after Dan Campbell decision
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell took over as the club's offensive play-caller during what became Detroit's 44-22 victory over the Washington Commanders on Nov. 9.
On Thursday, Lions offensive coordinator John Morton spoke with reporters for the first time since that apparent demotion.
Does John Morton disagree with Dan Campbell's decision?
"I fully support it," Morton said about Campbell's call, per Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News. "Listen, man. I’ve been doing this for a while. I’ve been with head coaches that are offensive guys, play-callers, so I’m used to that. I feel very prideful of things that I was doing. There’s some things I’ve got to learn, no doubt."
While the Lions initially dealt with "growing pains" associated with Morton serving as the replacement for current Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson, Detroit later won five of six games before the club endured a 27-24 upset loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 2. According to ESPN stats, the Lions will enter the weekend ranked second in the NFL with an average of 31.4 points scored per game. Additionally, Campbell said this week that he feels quarterback Jared Goff is playing the best football of his career, to date, this fall.
That said, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press noted that the Lions set season-highs of 546 total offensive yards, 226 rushing yards and 30 first downs in the win against Washington. Despite the change, there's no indication Campbell plans to show Morton the door during the season.
John Morton won't quit after losing play-calling duties
"That’s what we do. That’s what the Lions do," Morton added about supporting Campbell's decision, according to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic. "This organization’s been awesome. They live off grit, adversity, fighting through it. That’s me. My dad worked for GM for 30-something years. I saw him work on the assembly line forever. So, that’s all I know. … Player loses his starting position, what is he going to do? He’s just going to mope around and quit? No, he’s not, because we don’t hire guys like that. We don’t draft players like that. We hire guys that are fighters and will do whatever it takes."
Campbell's staff will spend the weekend preparing for the upcoming "Sunday Night Football" game at the Philadelphia Eagles (7-2). As of Friday morning, ESPN BET had 6-3 Detroit as a 2.5-point underdog for that matchup.
T.J. Hockenson Sends Blunt Words to Vikings Before Bears Game
The Minnesota Vikings‘ offense has struggled recently, as the group has failed to score 20 points or more in two of its last three games. Moreover, it’s no surprise that both games in which the Vikings scored less than 20 points ended in losses.
Minnesota need its offense to wake up, as its inability to put points on the board cost it in the Week 10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The Vikings’ defense didn’t allow a touchdown in the first half, creating the perfect situation for the offense to pull away. However, that didn’t happen.
Eventually, Lamar Jackson and Co. found the end zone and would come out on top. Ahead of the Week 11 game against the Chicago Bears, T.J. Hockenson was asked about how the Vikings’ offense can be more effective, especially on third down.
“I think you know getting the ball in the hands of our playmakers and letting us go and doing our thing,” Hockenson told reporters on November 13. “I think that’s what we’ve talked about, just trying to stay efficient on first and second down and be in a manageable third down. That’s a big part of it.
“[In Week 10] we kind of shot ourselves in the foot a little bit on early downs, and now you’re in third and long, third and unmanageable. A key factor is being efficient on first and second down, then getting into a third-and-manageable situation to make it easier.
“Once you get outside of third and six or third and seven, it’s tough on an offense to try to go get another 10-plus yards and make that third down. So, it’s just us being efficient on offense and all 11 doing our jobs.”
Bears Are Still Concerned About the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson
Justin Jefferson has struggled at various points during the 2025 NFL season, with the Week 10 loss to the Ravens being a notable
“I think he’s got a great feel for the game,”
The Vikings Offense Needs to Step Up
The Vikings face a tough three-game stretch, including two road matchups against the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks. A strong performance from Jefferson at home against Chicago is
NBC Sports’ NFL insider Mike Florio notes that these next three games could ultimately decide the team’s postseason fate.
“Their backs are kind of against the wall,” Florio told NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms on the
