Dan Campbell keeps faith Kelvin Sheppard can turn around Lions defense as Jets travel to Detroit

DETROIT (AP) — Dan Campbell has demoted offensive coordinators during the season in two of his previous five years with the Detroit Lions .

It doesn't sound as if Campbell plans to do it for the first time on defense, standing by and speaking up for Kelvin Sheppard .

Since shutting out New Orleans in the first half of Week 1, the Lions have struggled so much that Campbell has faced questions about the faith he has in Sheppard, a former NFL linebacker in his second season as defensive coordinator.

“I believe he’s an outstanding coach,” Campbell said. “There is a bump in the road.”

The Saints scored 30 points after halftime and were a 2-point conversion away from a comeback win in overtime after trailing by 21 points late in the third quarter. Buffalo had its way on offense in last week’s 41-31 win.

Detroit's defense ranks No. 31 in points allowed, total defense and passing defense.

The previous time the Lions had a strong defense was during the 2024 season, when they ranked seventh in the NFL in points allowed, and the New York Jets were impressed enough to hire defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as head coach.

Glenn will make his return to the Motor City on Sunday when the Jets (1-1) travel to play the Lions (1-1).

Even though Detroit is favored by about a touchdown, Campbell doesn't expect his team to be too confident.

“Our players know exactly what’s coming in here because the defensive coordinator was here for (four) years and turn on the tape,” Campbell said. “And, look what just happened last Thursday night.

"So, this is not going to be a trap game. This is going to be a knockout, 60-minute brawl.”

Campbell and Glenn, former Texas A&M standouts, were teammates with the Dallas Cowboys under coach Bill Parcells and worked together for five seasons on Sean Payton's staff in New Orleans before teaming up in Detroit.

When Detroit gave Campbell his first chance to be a full-time head coach in the league, Glenn was the first person he hired for the coaching staff.

“We just sat in my office and we talked football and how we were going to change this program around,” Glenn said. “And those things will always stick with me because the things that we talked about, we actually did and Detroit actually ended up being exactly where they are now.”

The Lions struggled early in the Campbell era on both sides of the ball and had just three wins in 2021 and started 1-6 the next season, but he stuck with Glenn and is glad he did.

“Even if things don’t always look the way you want them to look, man, you don’t just let go of good coaches,” Campbell said. “You’ve got to be real careful when you do that because AG is a great example of that.”

New York Jets (1-1) at Detroit (1-1)

When/where to watch: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, FOX

Latest odds: Lions by 6 1/2.

Against the spread: Jets 2-0; Lions 0-2.

Last week: Jets lost to Packers 20-17 OT; Bills beat Lions 41-31.

Last meeting: Lions beat Jets 20-17 on Dec. 18, 2022, in New York.

Series record: Lions lead 8-7.

Detroit's shaky and banged-up secondary against Jets quarterback Geno Smith. The Lions, already without injured safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, lost safety Avonte Maddox with a season-ending foot injury last week and safety Thomas Harper has an ankle injury. In three games in Detroit, Smith has completed 73% of his passes with an average of 348 yards passing — including a career-high 395 with Seattle two years ago — with five touchdowns and one interception.

— The Jets have one of the NFL's top defenses, ranking No. 1 in yards allowed and No. 2 in both yards passing and rushing allowed.

— New York has held its first two opponents to fewer 200 yards, the first time any team has done so to start the season since Baltimore in 2006.

— The Jets have not had an interception in an NFL-record 19 consecutive games, going back to 2024.

— New York leads the league in time of possession.

— Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and Andre Rison (1994) are the two players in NFL history to have at least nine catches and two touchdown receptions in each of the first two games in a season.

— Jared Goff has thrown a touchdown pass in 25 consecutive games for the Lions, the longest active streak in the league.

— Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson has a sack in six straight games, setting a franchise record.

AP Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. in Florham Park, New Jersey, contributed.

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