During the bye week, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell took the opportunity to assess his team and identify areas for improvement as they prepare for their Week 10 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Campbell revealed three key areas he wants to see the team enhance over the remaining nine games of the regular season.
The first area of concern is the turnover-takeaway ratio, emphasizing the need for improvement on both sides of the ball. Secondly, Campbell stressed the importance of enhancing performance in the red zone for both the offense and defense. He acknowledged that there are underlying reasons for the decline in red zone efficiency but didn’t delve into specifics. Finally, he highlighted the issue of third-quarter production or the lack thereof, expressing the team’s need to perform better in that crucial period.
Regarding the drop in red zone performance, Campbell pointed out that the offense’s touchdown percentage in the red zone has slipped to 24th in the league at 48.2 percent, and the defense ranks 26th with a red zone touchdown percentage of 65.4 percent. He attributed some of the struggles to self-induced errors, such as issues on second downs that lead to long third-down situations, affecting both offense and defense. Campbell also highlighted turnovers and penalties as contributing factors.
Campbell expressed optimism, noting that these issues are correctable, and cleaning up the errors will be essential for a team aspiring to secure home-field advantage in the postseason. He emphasized the importance of reaching their peak performance by December.
The Lions face their first test against the Chargers, and Campbell stressed the need for a clean game, focusing on minimizing turnovers, regaining their ability to take the ball away, and improving their red zone efficiency. A fast start is also a key objective for the upcoming matchup.
