{
  "id": 12149944,
  "title": "Dan Campbell, Lions players defend DC Kelvin Sheppard after another poor defensive showing: ‘It’s not a coaching thing’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/dan-campbell-lions-players-defend-dc-kelvin-sheppard-after-another",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-05T12:35:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/dan-campbell-lions-players-defend-123549560.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell and players have come to defense of defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard after a series of defensive issues in the team's first four games. Despite allowing 30-plus points in three of those games, Campbell insists that the struggles are not due to Sheppard's coaching. Instead, he emphasizes the need for the team to find ways to improve with the resources they currently have. Campbell stresses that the Lions must not panic and wants to avoid a repeat of their 2008 winless season, where they allowed 31.8 points per game, the highest in the NFL. The Lions' secondary has been particularly problematic, allowing 304 passing yards per game, but Campbell maintains that the issue lies with the players, not the coaching. He emphasizes that players must take responsibility for their performance and work together to address the problems.",
  "summary": "Detroit's defense has statistically been the NFL's worst through four games.",
  "key_points": [
    "Lions head coach Dan Campbell defends defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard.",
    "Campbell attributes poor defensive performance to players, not coaching.",
    "Lions aim to improve with current resources, avoid 2008 winless season."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Lions' Dan Campbell 'not talking' firing DC Kelvin Sheppard",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/lions-dan-campbell-not-talking-firing-dc-kelvin-sheppard",
        "published": "2026-10-05T11:50:47.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}