Heading into the 2022 season, many believed the Detroit Lions would not only be one of the most improved teams in the NFL, but that head coach Dan Campbell would put them into a position to challenge for a playoff spot.
As it stands, the Lions are off to a 1-4 start, and rather than talking about them as a potential playoff team, we are talking about where they would currently be picking in the 2023 NFL Draft.
What did Dan Campbell say about the state of the Detroit Lions?
This coming Sunday, the Detroit Lions will look to get back in the win column when they hit the road to take on the Dallas Cowboys.
On Monday, Dan Campbell spoke to reporters and he spoke about the state of the Detroit Lions.
“I’m not discouraged,” Campbell said. “I’m not happy with where we’re at. I mean, I don’t think anybody is, but when you really look at it, you’re one or two plays away here and all of a sudden you’re sitting here with three wins. But the reality is we only have one, so that’s where we’re at.”
Via Dave Birkett – Detroit Free Press
Dan Campbell says practices are about to get physical
The Lions have been practicing in pads for weeks, but according to Dan Campbell, that is about to change.
Campbell explained that it is time to start getting back to the things they were doing during training camp, which means more one-on-one work and more competitiveness.
“A lot of it was just with where we were at, we had a number of injuries and so you dial back a number of things to feel like you can get through what you need to get through in practice but yet still prepare them,” Campbell said. “I think when I really look back on it, it’s, well, maybe at the expense of us losing some reps and we’re a young team and you may put a strain on other groups because you’re light in other area but, man, the rest of your team needs that work.
“And so I just feel like we got to get back to those things we were doing in camp. And we’re not talking about going out there for 2½ hours, but, man, we got to get back to some of the competitiveness, the good-on-good and just good ol’ one-on-one work.”
Via Dave Birkett – Detroit Free Press
What’s next for the Detroit Lions?
If the Detroit Lions want to get back on track, it is not going to be easy as their upcoming schedule is not for the faint of heart.
Here is what the Lions’ upcoming schedule looks like: As you can see, the next six weeks are going to be extremely difficult, minus a trip to Chicago. (Granted, the Bears are probably looking forward to playing the Lions in Week 10.)
Week 7 at Dallas Cowboys
Week 8 vs. Miami Dolphins
Week 9 vs. Green Bay Packers
Week 10 at Chicago Bears
Week 11 at New York Giants
Week 12 vs. Buffalo Bills
Week 13 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 14 vs. Minnesota Vikings
Week 15 at New York Jets
Week 16 at Carolina Panthers
Week 17 vs. Chicago Bears
Week 18 at Green Bay Packers
If the Lions can somehow win three of their next four games (a tall task considering they will be the underdog three out of four of them), then we MAY be able to start talking about the playoffs.
Until then, let’s just see if Dan Campbell was able to make the much-needed adjustments during the bye week.
