dan campbell – Page 118

Five things to know as winless Lions face the Steelers

Rested and ready after a bye week, the Lions continue the quest for their first win of the season on Sunday at Pittsburgh.

The Steelers (5-3) have won four straight and are 7.5 point favorites.

If you rate losses, the Lions (0-8) are coming off their worst of the season – that ugly 44-6 shellacking by the Eagles.

“We put that game to bed and tried to put most of that to bed before the bye as to what we need to clean up, what we really need to work on,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “Here we go and now all of the focus has been on this game and where we’re at. These guys are coming off a bye. I thought they came out and practiced well, practiced hard, but there again, we’ve got another game and you’ve got to go out and execute.”

Here are five things to watch.

1. The Lions claimed wide receiver Josh Reynolds off waivers this week. It was definitely a position of weakness so it seems like a smart move. It’s not a certainty he will play at Pittsburgh since he is still learning the offense. “Look, we’re just trying to get him up to speed as fast as possible. Anything is on the table right now, and I think he’s a pretty sharp guy,’’ Campbell said. “It will just be how much we feel and he feels comfortable as to whether we do it or not.” He will wear No. 8.

2. Taylor Decker could return after being out after finger surgery. He’s officially listed as questionable. Campbell said on Friday that there’s more than a 50-percent chance he’ll go. It’s uncertain if he could play the entire game but Campbell said he’s in very good shape and if anyone could do it, it would be him. Decker’s leadership has been missed. “It’s all encompassing because not only is he a talented player, he’s big, he’s long, he’s got really good feet, but he is, he’s smart. He’s very smart. He’s a student of the game, he gets it, he’s done it for a while,’’ Campbell said. “And so, just that level of experience too with the talent sure does – it helps.” If he plays, Decker will start at left tackle and rookie Penei Sewell will move back to right tackle where he started the season.

3. One of the Lions’ offense’s many issues has been in the red zone. They’re ranked 30th in the NFL with 50-percent effectiveness. Campbell said they’ve been working on fundamentals and trick plays. “You certainly need to do what you feel like you do well or can do well with your personnel. But at the same time, there again, you start – you go too far that way and then you forget about this rush or the mismatch in the run game one way or another,’’ Campbell said. “That will bite you. I know I’m speaking out of both sides of my mouth, but it is both. You’ve got to be aware of both.”

4. Kicker Austin Seibert (right hip) is officially out for the game as is running back Jamaal Williams. Injuries have been an issue all season long for this bunch.

5. Big Ben Roethlisberger may be 39 years old but he’s been playing well so the defense has to be prepared. “He gets rid of the ball quickly and he can still make those downfield throws, those go throws, up and down, back shoulder, and when he’s in the red zone, he’s still as dangerous as he’s ever been,’’ Campbell said. “It’s even like what happened to us in preseason, these back shoulder throws to the tight end. Look, he can still do that stuff. He’s just not quite as mobile as he once was in the pocket. But look, it’s problematic and I still think that you’ve got to find a way to make these guys as one dimensional as possible. I think if you can do that and close the pocket in a little bit, at least you help your odds is the best way to say that.’’
PREDICTION: Steelers 42, Lions 27.

Five things to know about Lions 44-6 loss to Eagles

For the second straight home game, the Lions embarrassed themselves with a one-sided loss. On Sunday they fell 44-6 to the Eagles (3-5) who had lost five of their previous six games.

This should have been a game the Lions were in, but they most certainly were not. It wasn’t bad calls by the officials, it was weak play on all three units along with questionable coaching at times.

The Lions (0-8) may be the best team in the NFL at shooting themselves in the foot. A dubious distinction to be sure.

Coach Dan Campbell did not mince words afterward.

“We got pushed around bad. … I felt like we got out-coached today and out-played across the board and that starts with me. You don’t play that bad with a number of guys and areas and turn the ball over and penalties and low-energy,’’ Campbell said. “You don’t do that unless that comes from the top and that’s on me. I did not set the tone and the tempo properly obviously because that was bad. We didn’t even give ourselves a chance.’’

With next Sunday as the bye, Campbell, his staff and every player have time to reflect on the 0-8 start.

Five things to know about the loss

1. So far this season, maybe with the exception of the Bengals game two weeks ago, the Lions have shown a fighting spirit. Even at the Rams a week ago, they came out on fire scoring 16 first-half points before being slowed down in the second half. The want-to was not really apparent on Sunday. “I really felt like we were flat. I’m not worried about my message … well I guess maybe I should be worried about my message right, when you play like this that’s why you’re asking,’’ Campbell said. “I’m not worried about losing this team, I am worried that I didn’t deliver the right message to get them ready to go. That’s what concerns me about what I do.’’

2. Quarterback Jared Goff had a brutal day. He was sacked five times (four in the first half), and completed 25 of 34 passes for 222 yards. On a fourth-and-11 in the third quarter it looked like he threw the ball away although Goff said it was a misfire, a physical error, he was not trying to throw it away. Campbell still has Goff’s back. “Aside from the fact on the fourth-down he threw it into the stands which yes, that’s not a good decision, I don’t know what he’s supposed to do as far as the way that game went,’’ Campbell said. “I don’t look at him and go, ‘He’s the problem.’ That’s not how I see it. I do see this — offensively we were very anemic. If you’re going to ask me where are you going to look this week, I’m going to look at it three times before I look at anything else.

3. Running back D’Andre Swift was not effective at all against the Eagles defense. Jamaal Williams was out with an injury so they needed Swift to have a big day. The Lions have to be able to run and it was not there at all. Swift carried a dozen times for 27yards, a 2.3 per carry average and caught five passes for 24 yards. “We know Swift can help us, we couldn’t get him going. We tried, we just couldn’t get him going the way we wanted to get him going,’’ Campbell said.

4. The defense knew exactly what to expect of mobile Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts – they couldn’t let him out of the pocket and yet they did. He had more rushing yards (71) than all the Lions combined. This was not a surprise. He was the Eagles leading rusher going into the game. Lions safety Tracy Walker put the lack of execution on himself and his teammates. The coaches, they can make the game plan, they can draw up as many plays as they want but they can’t throw that playbook out there to make those plays,’’ Walker said. “At the end of the day us as players we’ve got to go out there and execute the plays that are called regardless of what the scheme may be we have to go out and do our jobs.’’

5. Give Campbell credit that he will always take the blame for a loss. That’s swell but he has to find ways to make this team more competitive. Everyone knew that wins this season would be extremely tough to get but this has been worse than billed. Campbell will spend the bye week looking at every aspect of the team in all three phases. Goff says the team has not given up. “I think that’s kind of been the theme the whole year. As bad as it’s been, the effort is there . We have young kids who are fighting, we have veteran guys who are fighting and we love each other,’’ Goff said.

UP NEXT: Lions have bye next Sunday, Nov. 7. They play at Cleveland on Sunday, Nov. 14.

Five things to know as winless Lions face Philadelphia Eagles

Still looking for their first win, the Detroit Lions might have a fighting chance on Sunday facing the Philadelphia Eagles (2-5) who have lost five of their last six games.

A win any week would be welcome, but perhaps the timing of this one would provide an extra benefit. After Sunday’s game at Ford Field, the Lions will have their bye week.

“It would be big. It would be. Knowing that you get a win and now we’re going to be able to heal up and rest and kind of reset our clock if you will, get everything back mentally, physically, emotionally, I think it would be big,’’ coach Dan Campbell said on Friday.

This bunch — those who have remained healthy — could use a boost after a few close calls in the first seven weeks. Going into the bye week with a win is always a goal no matter the team’s record.

“I think you kind of – you’re turning over a new leaf if you will. It’s validating what you’re doing and where you’re going. So, certainly it would be big, but this isn’t some easy opponent. This is a good football team. They still have good football players over there,’’ Campbell said. “… This is not going to be easy, but to answer it, yeah, it would be huge.”

Five things to watch:

1. Darius Slay will be making his return to Detroit as the Eagles top cornerback. Now that Matt Patricia has moved on, Slay is eager to come back to the Motor City. You’ve got to imagine he’ll be extra fired up. Slay has two interceptions this season, both against the Panthers. “He’s playing good ball, man. He’s playing at a high-level,’’ Lions offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn said. “You can see why he’s a two-time Pro Bowler and all of that. He is everything that you want in a corner.” Too bad Patricia didn’t like him.

2. The defense can’t let quarterback Jalen Hurts out of the pocket — he’s the Eagles’ leading rusher with 361 total rushing yards. He’s also been efficient with 10 passing touchdowns against just four interceptions. “You’ve always got to make sure you’re on your toes with this player. Even if it’s a close game, he’s one of those guys that has the potential to pull it off. We have to make sure that we’re all good in that area and understand who he is and what he’s done over his career,’’ Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “The second thing is his ability to run with the ball. You just said it, he has over 350 yards rushing, so we have to be able to contain that and make sure that he doesn’t get out of the pocket.’’

3. Jared Goff has completed 66.1% of his passes but most of them are short, not many downfield. “If you’re not getting those opportunities, you have to figure out other ways to generate explosives. Up until the Cincinnati game, we were one of the top-10 teams in the League in explosive plays,’’ Lynn said. “There are other ways you can generate explosives other than throwing it down the field, but there is something that can back people up a little bit and give us a little more space underneath if we can get that done.”

4. Wide receiver Kalif Raymond has stepped up in recent games with six catches in each of the last two contests. Lynn said he didn’t know much about Raymond before he was signed. “But when we got him in training camp, he’s impressed us from the first day he got here. We were like, ‘Why are the Titans letting him out of there?’ But, he’s done nothing but just make the most out of his opportunities,’’ Lynn said. Keep an eye on him to get even more targets. “Just his route savvy and his ability to get open and he doesn’t let his size come into play at all because he separates so well,’’ Lynn said.

5. Special teams play has been solid but really stood out at the Rams with two fake punts and an onside kick. Teams coordinator Dave Fipp gets much of the credit but he tested positive for COVID-19 this week even though he is vaccinated. While unable to be with the team, Campbell said Fipp has been coaching from home with Jeff Modkins (special teams assistant) and Don Muhlbach (assistant special teams) filling in. “It’s a good core unit, and so they take it serious and they kind of regulate themselves a little bit, too. Like, you can tell there was a little bit more ownership in it like, ‘Alright, look man, Fipp’s not here. Let’s get this right.’ It’s been good. It still stinks, especially this weekend I know for Fipp. I’m sure he would want this, but yet he’s still here in spirit and he’s up there,’’Campbell said.

PREDICTION: Lions 28, Eagles 24