Dan Campbell shares update on DC Kelvin Sheppard after Lions' loss to Panthers

The Detroit Lions defense had yet another rough performance during what became a 32-26 loss at the Carolina Panthers that dropped the Lions to 2-2 on Sunday night. 

That result understandably sparked new questions about whether Lions head coach Dan Campbell could dismiss second-year defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. Following his team's defeat, Campbell sounded uninterested in making a Sheppard-related move at this point of the season. 

Dan Campbell: Lions will "get better with what we've got"

"I'm not talking about all that," Campbell said about possibly moving on from Sheppard, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN. "I'm talking about getting better right now with what we've got. And that's what we're going to do. We're going to find a way to get better with what we've got."

Lions general manager Brad Holmes seems to understand that his defense needs help, as Holmes attempted to acquire Joey Porter Jr. from the Pittsburgh Steelers before Pittsburgh traded the cornerback to the Dallas Cowboys. On Sunday night, Panthers quarterback Bryce Young completed 29-of-41 passes for 329 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Meanwhile, wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan caught those two touchdown passes and finished the evening with 14 receptions for 192 yards.

"Let's look at it and let's get it fixed," Campbell added about the Lions. "But I know this: We go into panic mode when we've got 13 games left, and we're 2-2, that's not the right thing to do. I just don't believe that. I never have. So, I know there's frustration and look, I'm frustrated. I know the players are frustrated."

Lions players accept blame for the club's defensive woes

Cornerback D.J. Reed was among the Lions players who accepted blame for the team's defensive struggles following the loss at Carolina's Bank of America Stadium.

"It's not a coaching thing. It's a players thing. This game comes down to winning one-on-ones, and that's what we've got to do as a whole collective unit in the secondary. We haven't been doing that," Reed said. "So, we've just got to be better."

According to ESPN stats, the Lions began Monday ranked last in the NFL with an average of 304.0 passing yards allowed per game, last with an average of 423.8 total yards surrendered per contest and last with 31.8 points scored by opponents per game. After Sunday's loss, Detroit All-Pro linebacker Jack Campbell also insisted that Sheppard and the rest of the coaching staff aren't failing the club this fall. 

"It starts with the players because we're out there and we make the scheme come alive. So, honestly, you can just put it on me, put it on the players," Jack Campbell said. "But, I mean, Shep works hard. Dan believes in him. I believe in him. He's made of the right stuff. We're going to get this figured out. We've just got to stay the course, stick together. Right now, it's us versus everybody, and I'll state the obvious. We're not playing very good defensively, and we've got to fix it."

The Lions will attempt to fix their defense ahead of their Week 5 matchup at the 1-3 Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 11. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Detroit as a 5.5-point road favorite for that game.