Lions OC seems to respond to 'panic mode' take ahead of Bears clash

During Thursday's edition of ESPN's "First Take" program, NFL analyst and former Detroit Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky said that the Lions could be in "complete panic mode" if they fall to 0-2 on the season via a loss to the rival Chicago Bears (0-1) this coming Sunday. 

While speaking with reporters on Thursday, first-year Lions offensive coordinator John Morton seemed to offer a response to Orlovsky when Morton insisted that "nobody's in panic mode" within the organization following Detroit's Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

How Detroit Lions have responded to lackluster Week 1 performance

"The bottom line is this is about execution and the details of everything and then taking a little bit less, so guys are playing a little bit faster, so everybody knows exactly what to do," Morton explained, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN. "But I'm encouraged. There were some encouraging things in the game, obviously, and then we move on. That's what we've done. Great attitude by the guys, 'How do we fix this?' Because we're in the fix-it business as coaches."

The Lions clearly hoped that Morton's familiarity with the club would help make up for the loss of former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who left the franchise to become Chicago's head coach this past winter. Before Morton spent the previous two seasons serving as the pass game coordinator for the Denver Broncos, he was a senior offensive assistant with Detroit during the 2022 campaign. 

However, concerns about what the Lions will and won't be without Johnson grew louder after Detroit failed to find the end zone against Green Bay until rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa made what could go down as the best touchdown grab of the season in garbage time of the contest. 

Earlier in the week, Lions quarterback Jared Goff said that the Detroit offense was simply experiencing expected "growing pains" under Morton. On Thursday, Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown suggested that he and his teammates haven't lost any confidence after losing to a Green Bay team that boasts a smothering defense. 

Detroit Lions locker room is ready to bounce back

"We've got a great group of guys in our locker room, guys that have been here when we were losing for a while in those first two years (under head coach Dan Campbell) and were able to turn things around," St. Brown added. "So, a lot of us know what it feels to be on the other side of things, so we're resilient, guys that will never give up, and we have a bunch of good players on our roster. We're going to figure out a way to make things shake."

As of Friday morning, ESPN Bet had the Lions as 6.5-point favorites over the Bears.