Not many positives to take from the Cincinnati Bengals' 37-24 home loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 5. Sunday's tussle in the Queen city wasn't nearly as close as the scoreboard indicates, as Cincinnati trailed 28-3 at one point.
Sound familiar? Yeah, that's the exact score Tom Brady overcame in a Super Bowl to win. Sadly, Joe Burrow isn't around to help the Bengals pull off that type of feat.
But you know what's cool? The Lions annihilated the hosts so badly that they might've gotten an up-close, personal look at their future head coach.
Lions OC John Morton destroys Bengals in potential audition as Zac Taylor's replacement
As I was watching Sunday's latest Bengals carnage unfold, I couldn't help but think back to what happened in Detroit with its last offensive shot-caller. Ben Johnson waltzed into Chicago, pulled out that fake fumble play for a TD against the Bears, and gave them a little extra to let them know what type of mastermind he was — fully knowing he'd enter their interview cycle the ensuing offseason.
Cut to months later, Johnson is the head coach in the Windy City, and has Chicago fans feeling good about Bears football for the first time in a long time.
The thing is, somebody had to replace the reputed wunderkind that Johnson is in Detroit. That responsibility fell on John Morton. Nobody could've expected that Morton would be a play-caller anywhere near the caliber of Johnson, but through five games wit those duties, the Lions' offense doesn't appear to have missed a beat with him in charge of the call sheet.
I would like to invoke Tom Cruise's Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder to contrast Morton's prospective Bengals head coaching candidacy with another popular name, Bills OC Joe Brady. There's an obvious link to Brady and Cincinnati, because he was Burrow's play-caller at LSU.
My thing is, Brady ascended the coaching ranks under Sean Payton's wing. Then he got to call an offense led by Joe Brrr, Ja'Marr Chase, and Justin Jefferson. Where Cruise's Les comes in is this line, "A nutless monkey could do your job."
Not to discredit what Brady is doing in Buffalo, but he does have Josh Allen at his disposal. And who knows? Maybe reuniting with Burrow and Chase would produce elite results just as they did in Baton Rouge.
What makes Morton stand out is the fact that he had arguably the most pressure of any succeeding offensive coordinator to step into his role. After a rocky Week 1 loss to Green Bay at Lambeau Field, the Lions are averaging over 40 points per game during their four-game winning streak.
You know who knows ball? Lions head coach Dan Campbell. I'm not sure Zac Taylor does. Take a listen to Campbell's recent singing of praises toward Morton:
“Both of these guys are rock stars and I’m fortunate to have them....”
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) October 3, 2025
Dan Campbell says he loves what he's seeing from coordinators John Morton & Kelvin Sheppard.
📻 https://t.co/ROaoooKTca@Lions I #OnePride pic.twitter.com/4aS0yhjTzw
The ingenuity of Morton's play designs is undeniable. Similar to Ben Johnson. Look no further than David Montgomery's halfback TD pass!
You gotta love it!
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 5, 2025
In his return to his hometown where he played some QB in high school, Lions RB David Montgomery throws a TD pass!
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/BiIp17hdvX
Look, John Morton seems legit. More than open to kicking the tires on him based on what he just did to this Bengals defense!