Campbell: 'If I Was Kevin O'Connell, I'd Be Upset'

Campbell reacts to missed facemask in Thursday Night game.

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell and Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions were the first team to knock off the Minnesota Vikings, defeating them 31-29 in Week 7. On Thursday, the Vikings suffered a second consecutive loss with a 30-20 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams.

The loss was mired in controversy at the end. With the ball trailing 28-20, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold was sacked in the end zone for the deciding safety. However, Darnold was grabbed by the facemask by Rams defender Byron Young on the play.

As a result of the play, there was conversation sparked about a need for the ability to review facemask penalties. That would present another factor that would slow the game down, but in recent years the NFL has implemented replay assist to quickly assess situations that may have been missed calls.

Lions coach Dan Campbell explained the dynamic that this presents in terms of pace of play along with a need for common sense reviews.

“Yeah, I can understand that. You would like to believe that we could get there but I do know this, slowing the game down is something that they frown upon," Campbell said. "That’s one of the, ‘Ah, the more we do this,’ now the game is getting slowed down significantly. But I know if I was Kevin O’Connell, I’d be upset. But there again, it is what it is.” 

Josh Paschal dealing with illness, could miss Sunday's game

The Lions defensive line could take another hit ahead of Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.

Josh Paschal, who is dealing with an illness, is not expected to practice on Friday, which would mark his third consecutive missed practice of the week.

Campbell gave a grim prognosis on Paschal’s status for Sunday, while stating that Isaiah Thomas will make his team debut after being signed off the Bengals' practice squad last week.

“Paschal’s dealing with something right now. He’ll be okay long-term but he’s got a little bit of something, so I don’t see him practicing," Campbell stated. "Yes, we will use Isaiah. He’s done enough during the week to want to get him out there and get him some reps. He’s in a good place, and we’re excited to see him play, really. Terrell and I were talking about it this morning, because he’s got length, size, strength. He’s smart and plays hard. It’ll be exciting to see how he does.” 

If Paschal misses Sunday’s game, the Lions could add more to the plate of Thomas and James Houston. Additionally, Al-Quadin Muhammad could make his Lions debut as a practice squad call-up.

“That’s why those three guys have got to step up, between Isaiah, Al-Muhammad and Houston," Campbell said. "They’ve got to help, they’ve got to help. That’s where it goes, but as always we spread the load across that d-line with Levi and Mac and Reader and Wingo and O’Connor. We’ve got plenty in there and they pick up the slack.” 

Injury notes

Campbell gave updates on a pair of players working their way back from ailments.

Rookie offensive lineman Christian Mahogany is in the final full week of his return-to-play window after being placed on the Non-Football Illness list at the beginning of the year.

Mahogany has continued to develop in his practice opportunities after a bout with mono, but Campbell has not discussed his return with general manager Brad Holmes.

“Brad and I have not talked about him yet going into next week, that’ll come up after this game. I’ll tell you this, he has gotten better every week," Campbell explained. "He’s made strides every week, and that has been very noticeable. Just standing up here in front of you, it would be hard to say that you don’t want to continue this progress. That would be hard to say. But until I talk to Brad, I won’t know for sure on that.” 

Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu, who has not played this year and was placed on injured reserve in Week 4, is also working his way back from an ankle injury.

"The best I can tell you is he's progressing, he's gotten better and he's better than he was when we put him on injured reserve," Campbell said. "That's a good thing, and that's why we did it. We wanted to get him right and not feel pressured or hurried to get him out there and get it to where he feels comfortable. He feels good about it, he feels good about his body, and so he's progressed nicely."