Why did Dan Campbell take over playcalling duties for the Commanders game?
On Sunday afternoon, The Detroit Lions hit the road in Maryland to take on the Washington Commanders, looking to put last week’s mistake against the Minnesota Vikings in the rearview mirror. Some fans were quick to note that it appeared to be the head coach Dan Campbell calls the plays for the offense for the first time this season, leaving some confused as to why the team chose to shake things up.
During halftime, Campbell spoke with FOX sideline reporter Megan Olivi about the decision.
“It’s just a change. We wanted to mix things up,” Campbell said, according to Mike Garafolo of X, formerly Twitter.
Overall, the early return to the decision was encouraging, as the Lions managed to put 25 points on the board in the first half against Washington, and quickly continued that momentum in the second half.
The Lions are still trying to fully recapture the magic they had on offense last year under head coach Ben Johnson, who helped lead the team to 15 wins but an early playoff exit.
While that explosive offensive unit has appeared in spurts this year, overall it hasn’t been nearly as consistent as Lions fans are used to.
Still, the Lions are in solid position to make the playoffs, and depending on how the rest of the season goes, they could be positioned to peak at the right time in the postseason, unlike last year, when the team began to fall victim to both injury mistakes and their own overconfidence ahead of an eventual loss to the Commander.
Either way, after the game in Washington, the Lions will take the field next week against the Philadelphia Eagles in a high-profile matchup between two NFC contenders.
2025-11-09 23:53:00
