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.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) is sacked by Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)

Green Bay Packers defensive end Brenton Cox Jr. (57) attempts to tackle New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) during an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn gives a thumbs up on the field during an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell watches against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

James Copenhaver, one of three campaign rally attendees shot in 2024 during an assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump, has died in Pittsburgh, his lawyer said Thursday. He was 76.

Copenhaver was in the bleachers during the event in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a 20-year-old gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop, grazing Trump’s right ear with one bullet. Copenhaver was struck in the arm and in the abdomen, wounds that left him with lingering injuries and walking with a cane.

Two other attendees were also shot — David Dutch, who survived, and Corey Comperatore, who shielded his family from gunfire and was killed.

Copenhaver died Wednesday at Allegheny Health Network’s West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh, according to a statement from the Allegheny County medical examiner cited in local media accounts.

Copenhaver’s lawyer, Joseph Feldman, said in a statement issued on behalf of the family that he died surrounded by loved ones. The statement did not specify if his death was directly related to the injuries he suffered at the rally.

Copenhaver and his wife, Marianne Copenhaver, sued the federal government in June, alleging that the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security had “utterly failed” to provide appropriate security at the rally. Copenhaver’s injuries required multiple surgeries, including a transection of his colon, and he had lingering kidney and other damage, including a loss of feeling in his leg. The lawsuit described the wounds as “debilitating, grievous, permanent and life altering.”

The family's statement Thursday called Copenhaver above all else a devoted husband, father and grandfather who instilled the values of hard work, integrity and the service to others in his children.

“James’s dedication to this great country was a defining part of his life,” it said. “As a veteran, he proudly served our nation in the armed forces, and his love of country never wavered. James was a true American patriot who believed deeply in the freedoms and ideals upon which this nation was founded, and he embodied the very best traits of our great nation.”

In a statement posted to social media, Trump on Thursday called Copenhaver “a true American Patriot.”

“Jim showed tremendous bravery, courageously continuing to FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, and maintaining a positive spirit despite unimaginable hardships,” Trump wrote.

Johnson reported from Seattle and Smyth from Columbus, Ohio.

FILE - A campaign rally site for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is empty and littered with debris on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)