Allen Park — Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell doesn’t want to play favorites, or, in this case, least favorites.
However, after Detroit’s defense was lit up in a primetime game for the second time in three weeks, the unit is the butt of jokes nationally and the cause of consternation locally.
It’s not exaggeration to say the defensive performance has been a disaster through the first month of the season. After looking like world beaters in the first half of the opener, they’ve been playing at a historically poor level ever since.
After Carolina carved them up Sunday night, Detroit ranks last or near the bottom of the league in most meaningful measurements, including yards, points, third downs, in the red zone and explosive plays allowed.
And in his Monday afternoon press conference, Campbell did little to quell concerns.
“Look, I think a lot of our games are going to be this way, and it’s important for us to complement each other.”
By this way, Campbell presumably means coin tosses that cause heartburn, or worse, fists through drywall. Through four games, they’ve coughed up a pair of double-digit leads in the fourth quarter and failed to successfully overcome double-digit deficits against Buffalo and Carolina.