Jared Goff threw for 412 yards, and the Detroit Lions racked up 452 total yards against the Carolina Panthers in Week 4, but the Lions still lost 32-26 in Charlotte because the defense couldn’t buy a stop. Carolina’s second year star Tetairoa McMilan – the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year – shredded Detroit’s secondary for 14 catches, 192 yards, and two scores, giving Bryce Young clean throwing lanes all night. The Lions are now sitting at 2-2, surrendering an average of 32 points a game, and the heat of defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard is reaching a boiling point.

Reporters put the hot-seat question directly to Dan Campbell at the postgame presser, asking how many more breakdowns he can take before making a staff change. Campbell killed the question right there.

“I’m not talking about all that, man,” Campbell said. “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 got.”

Shortly after that response, Campbell was asked whether he’d change his mind somewhere down the season. Campbell didn’t shut the door completely on that possibility.

“Yeah, dude. I’m going to always do what’s right by this team. What I truly believe is the best thing and the right thing to do. Always,” Campbell said. “I’m always going to do that. That’s the most important thing – what’s right for the players, and what gives us the best opportunity to win.”

Now, if we talk about the defensive lapses, the Lions struggled in coverage from the get-go. Bryce Young completed 15-of-20 passes for 178 yards in the first half, and Detroit’s defensive backs had no real answer for Tetairoa McMillan. By halftime McMillan already had nine catches for 147 yards and a touchdown.

The second half brought more of the same. McMillan found the end zone again to open the third quarter and push Carolina up to 22-16. On the very next possession, the Panthers found the end zone again – this time on the heels of a 2-yard rush by Chuba Hubbard. Carolina only managed to score a field goal in the fourth quarter, but the Lions punted on two out of five possessions, and could only score one touchdown, resulting in the 32-26 heartbreak.

The Lions defense also failed to force a single turnover, while allowing 17 passing and 10 rushing first downs. Even though they sacked Young thrice for the loss of 11 yards, that amounted to nothing in the end. After that brutal loss, a lot of fans online were calling for Kelvin Sheppard to be fired. Even former Lions like Darius Slay were calling out the defense.

Meanwhile, Campbell was asked if they could do things differently in their scheme. He noted they still have options, pointed at improvements the offense still needed, and urged everyone to take a breath before blowing up the staff and the players four weeks into the season.

“Yeah, there’s some things that we can mix in here that we haven’t done a ton of this year,” Campbell said. “And that’s the next step. Let’s see what we can do. I want to exhaust everything here, let’s exhaust everything we have. It’s the same thing on offense, we got to find a way to be a little bit more efficient here. We can’t stall out when we do. We got to get a faster start, which we haven’t done. So let’s look at it and let’s get it fixed.

“But I know this, we go into panic mode when we’ve got 13 games left and we’re 2-2. I mean, that’s not the right thing to do, I just don’t believe that, I never have. I know there’s frustration. Look, I’m frustrated, I know the players are frustrated, but it’s you’re only a few plays away. You’re a few penalties away, you’re a couple – what it is from now you’re not in a two-score game and now you’re back in control instead of having to fight your way back from the deficit we were under there.”

But it’s not all damage-control for Dan Campbell. Earlier in the same presser, he admitted they “have to get takeaways on defense.” And while he defends his coordinator and the unit, the numbers they’re putting up are quite concerning. Offenses had already bled Kelvin Sheppard’s defense for 1,250 total yards in the first three weeks. Then, the Panthers added another 445 total yards to raise that number to 1,695.

If you ask Dan Campbell, though, he’ll take the blame all on himself. Even after the 41-31 beatdown at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in Week 2, the head coach was all in behind his defense coordinator.

“I believe he’s an outstanding coach,” Campbell had said. “There is a bump in the road. I think the staff is outstanding, that defensive staff. I think it’s a veteran staff, and I think they’re versatile, and we have got to coach better – and they can coach better. I can coach better, but I believe they’re the right guys to get this thing done.”

Now, even though Campbell’s faith in Sheppard remains unshakable four weeks in, the scrutiny is unmistakable. After the Lions face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5, they enter their bye, giving them two full weeks to fix things before they host their divisional rivals – the Green Bay Packers – in Week 7. If the defense doesn’t show improvements by then, Sheppard’s seat is only going to get hotter.