When you look at the remainder of the Detroit Lions 2021 schedule, their Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Chicago Bears looks like the best chance to pick up what very well could be their only victory of the season.
But in order to defeat the Bears, who are a bad football team, there is one thing that Lions head coach Dan Campbell MUST do immediately.
Heading into their Week 10 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Campbell told reporters that he was going to be more hands-on with the Lions offense and that is exactly what he did as he took over the play-calling duties from offensive coordinator, Anthony Lynn.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I respect Campbell for attempting something new in order to fix a struggling offense but taking over playcalling duties from Lynn, who has plenty of experience calling plays when Campbell has never called plays in his life, was a big mistake.
In the two games that Campbell has been calling plays, the Lions’ offense has been absolutely abysmal as they are averaging just 13 points per game.
During the Lions’ tie against the Steelers, QB Jared Goff threw for just 114 yards and in their loss to the Cleveland Browns this past Sunday, QB Tim Boyle was even worse, if that is possible, as he tossed for just 77 yards, while throwing two interceptions.
Sure, Goff and Boyle are not exactly great (or even good) (or even average) NFL quarterbacks but a big part of the problem was the plays that Dan Campbell was calling. Rarely did Cambell allow Goff and Boyle to throw the ball downfield, which makes the offense extremely predictable.
Against the Browns, Campbell’s playcalling decisions came into question once again as he ran the ball on third-and-long in the fourth quarter and seemed to be dialing up plays ‘not to lose’ rather than trying to win.
The Bears are an extremely beatable team but if Campbell is calling plays again, I fear the Lions will fall to 0-10-1 with 0-16-1 on the horizon.
If the Lions want to have any chance of beating the Bears on Thanksgiving Day, Dan Campbell must give the keys to the offense back to Anthony Lynn. At least Lynn is an experienced NFL offensive coordinator who has had success in the past. Campbell has not.
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