Dan Campbell Upset with Lions’ Preseason Outing Against Chargers: “We’ve Got to Coach Them Better”

The Detroit Lions are one of the highly ranked title contenders from the NFC after their 15-win regular season last year.

Dan Campbell Upset with Lions’ Preseason Outing Against Chargers: “We’ve Got to Coach Them Better”

Dan Campbell (Image via Detroit Lions)

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Coming off a historic season, the Detroit Lions had a disappointing start to the preseason with a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in the Hall of Fame Weekend. The Lions, who were defeated 34-7, played with a squad filled with young players and backups.

Dan Campbell’s team committed five turnovers, including two on special teams, one of which came on the opening kickoff, and three interceptions. Even though it was a preseason game featuring mostly backups, Campbell was visibly frustrated with the sloppy performance.

In the post-match press conference, Campbell issued a stern warning to the players. He admitted that the nature of the game was not at all meeting the Lions’ standards.

You want to win the game. You also want to play really well, you know, and we didn’t do that. So that’s the frustrating part of it, but like I said, we’re going to learn from it. We’re going to be able to coach off of this tape and help some of these guys get better, and that’ll serve us well. And I would expect us to play much better next week, these guys that played in this game.

Campbell also alluded to removing some of the players who played in the squad today from the final roster. The Detroit Lions return to the field against the Atlanta Falcons for their next preseason game on August 8.

Lions’ quarterback depth behind Jared Goff is a disaster waiting to happen

The Detroit Lions may have playoff dreams, but behind Jared Goff, their quarterback room looks like a blueprint for collapse. Hendon Hooker, Goff’s immediate backup, is already 27 and has barely seen real NFL action. Hooker was drafted in 2023 while recovering from a torn ACL. He spent his rookie year rehabbing and learning from the sidelines. It would have been fine if he showed any signs he was ready to step up.

Kyle Allen
Kyle Allen threw two interceptions in the first preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers (Image via NBC News)

But in the Hall of Fame Game, Hooker looked overwhelmed and underprepared. There were severe miscommunications during his time on the field, including timing issues with receivers in motion. One of his passes landed squarely in a swarm of Chargers defenders, either due to a horrendous read or a blown route.

His rushing attempt on a key fourth down was stopped short, and his presence brought no spark to the offense. He barely showed any command of the huddle.

Then there’s Kyle Allen. The veteran journeyman is better known for hopping around practice squads than winning games. In his most notable season, five years ago, he threw nearly as many picks as touchdowns.

On Thursday night, Allen looked like a quarterback trying to do more than his arm would allow. His deep throws floated, his timing was off, and he tossed two brutal interceptions. Although he strung together a decent 15-play drive before halftime, it ended up being more about clock-killing than actual progress.

Together, Hooker and Allen combined for three interceptions and failed to move the offense with any consistency. It would be easy to shrug off the performance as preseason, but Dan Campbell sure is not planning to do so. Moreover, it showed signs of a structural weakness rather than being rusty.

In any case, if Goff goes down at any point in the season, Detroit’s offense is in serious trouble. The Lions better hope Goff stays healthy, or all that offseason optimism could unravel in a hurry.

Also Read: (Video) Jim Harbaugh’s Vote of Confidence Fuels Trey Lance’s Iconic Preseason Debut for Chargers