The coach, Campbell, revealed three key areas that he hopes to see progress in for the remainder of the regular season in anticipation of their next game.
It would be a grave understatement to suggest that the Detroit Lions have exceeded expectations this season. With a 7-2 record and a commanding lead in the NFC North, the Lions have exceeded both the expectations of their supporters and the oddsmakers at Michigan-based online sportsbooks going into their Week 11 clash against the Division rival Chicago Bears. After the 8-1 Eagles, the Lions presently own the second-best record in the NFC.
Making the most of his team’s bye week, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell examined his team’s play to identify areas that required improvement. Ahead of their next game against the Bears, the third-year coach revealed three key areas he hopes to see improvement in during the last nine games of the regular season.
The Five Big Issues Facing Detroit
Fresh off their bye week, The Detroit Lions didn’t show any signs of rust by edging out the Los Angeles Chargers 41-38. However, the turnover-takeaway ratio is still a work in progress.
The Lions Need to Own Both Red Zones
Both the offense and the defense have significantly underperformed in the red zone this season. With a red-zone touchdown percentage of 48.2 percent, the Lions’ offense is currently ranked 24th in the league, while their defense is ranked 26th with a rate of 65.4 percent. According to Campbell, a lot of these errors were self-inflicted and negatively affected the team’s output.
The Lions Need to Step It Up on Third Down
The massive transaction that sent Matthew Stafford to the Rams and Jared Goff to the Lions was met with skepticism from many, both then and now. A lot of football analysts thought Goff was a disaster in Los Angeles, and his poor performance on third downs isn’t making the critiques go away. However, Goff and company will be able to score more points and keep their defense fresh by converting more third downs and avoiding dangerous circumstances.
The Third Quarter Scoring Must Improve
Despite the Lions being one of the better offenses in the NFL, their offense has seemingly been absent in the third quarter this season. In the initial five games of the season, they managed to score only one offensive touchdown during the third quarter.
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