Dan Campbell wanted his defensive backs to take a hands-on approach with speedy Miami Dolphins receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle on Sunday. Literally.
But when it came time to get physical, the Detroit Lions were nothing like Olivia Newton-John.
“We didn’t hit them,” Campbell said. “We didn’t hit them at the line. That was part of the game plan. We didn’t disrupt. We did not disrupt, and when you let them do that and get into your defense it’s — we didn’t want to turn it into a track meet and it was a track meet.”
Hill and Waddle combined for 294 yards receiving and two touchdowns as the Dolphins handed the Lions their fifth straight loss, 31-27, at Ford Field.
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Hill tied a season-high with 12 catches for 188 yards, while Waddle had eight catches for 106 yards and two scores.
“That was definitely a thing, us trying to get our hands on them and limit their speed down the field,” Lions cornerback Will Harris said. “We’ve just got to be better all-around and execute as much as possible.”
Hill caught five passes of at least 18 yards, including gains of 42 yards and 36 yards. His 36-yard catch came on a third-and-13 play when he got a free release at the line of scrimmage. Waddle had two catches for 18-plus yards and got free releases on both his TDs.
“We didn’t handle their speed well,” Campbell said. “We didn’t get under those windows. Tua (Tagovailoa) did a good job of playing with rhythm, getting it out of his hands. (He would pump fake) and then kind of pop and then find the second window. We just did not — a lot of it is why you have to try to disrupt these guys, whether they’re on the line and some of that fast motion. If you’re a flat player, you’ve got to try to hit them a little bit because if you allow them into the defense, we’ve got problems. And they’re too fast. So we just didn’t handle it well top to bottom.”
Limited role for Swift
D’Andre Swift played a supporting role in his return from ankle and shoulder injuries Sunday, logging 10 touches as the Lions managed his workload after a three-game absence. Jamaal Williams started at running back and led the Lions with 10 carries for 53 yards and two touchdowns.
“We were just trying to see where Swift was at,” Campbell said. “Certainly, he’s not 100-percent, but we got a few plays out of him.”
Swift finished with five carries for 6 yards and had 27 yards receiving on five catches, including a 7-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
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One of the Lions’ most explosive offensive players, Swift played for the first time since spraining his shoulder in a Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He also has been dealing with a sprained ankle he suffered in a Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Campbell said he hopes managing Swift’s workload will lead to better health as the season goes on.
“I mean, we hope, but we’ll take it as it comes,” he said. “Look, at least we got him out there moving around. It’s better than him not being at the game. And let’s see if we can — how he came out of this game and hopefully he’ll be a little bit better next week and maybe a little bit better the week after.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.