US.Dan Campbell reveals Lions’ biggest problems: The secret to drawing the line between “good” and “unstoppable” has the entire fan community in a debate!
The Detroit Lions bye week is over, and they had a good first quarter of the season, starting 5-2. Right now, they have the first-ranked defense in terms of DVOA and the fifth-ranked offense. Things look like they’re going pretty well, but there are two problems. One problem that we identified is not scoring after forcing turnovers, and the other one comes right from the head coach.
The Lions are having a lot of problems converting on third down
“We are not getting the plays that we normally get because we are not converting like we should on third down.” Campbell said Monday. “Third down is the most glaring thing right now. We have to be better. It’s right there. That’s the thing, Johnny (John Morton) and I have looked at. That’s the big focus for us.”
Campbell went on to say that’s not just the third-and-longs that the Lions are having trouble with. They’re struggling to convert on third-and-manageable, too. Third-and-manable being that 3rd-and-4 through 4rd-and-6 region.
He’s right. There has been a stark drop-off in this category. The Lions finished the season last year, converting on 46.9% of their third-down attempts. That was fourth in the league. This year, they’re only converting on 37.6%. That’s 21st in the league. In the manageable department that Campbell was talking about, the Lions are converting 47% of their plays there. That’s down from 59% last year.
To still be 5-2 is a sign that this is a really good football team. If they’re able to get this fixed, which is not a huge thing that takes weeks and weeks to fix, they’re likely going to be able to be an extremely dangerous football team down the second half stretch. A perfect time to have all your ducks in a row.
Lions projected to enter 2025 season with top weapons in NFL on offense
Over the last two seasons, the running back duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery for the Detroit Lions proved to be one of the best in the league. More well known by Lions fans as “Sonic” and “Knuckles,” the running back tandem of Gibbs and Montgomery recorded a combined rushing total of 2,187 yards and 28 touchdowns last season.
