Dan Campbell Puts the Lions on Notice Ahead of Week 10

Anyone perhaps concerned that the Detroit Lions could rest on their laurels during the second half of the 2023 season after a 6-2 start likely don’t have to worry with Dan Campbell as head coach.

Campbell continued to stress to reporters on November 10, as he has all week, that the Lions need to keep getting better in order to stay in contention in the NFC.

“We’ve been able to earn six wins up to this point after eight games, and now, we’re not guaranteed six more wins playing the way that we played on the first half [of the season],” Campbell told reporters on November 10. “We have to get better. We have to.”

“Say it every year, there’s teams that are jockying for these spots. What happens is some of these teams that look pretty good right now, they’ll begin to fall, and some of these other teams, they’ll start rattling off some wins. We have to improve, and I believe we can.”

Coming off their bye in Week 9, Lions officially begin the second half of the season against the Los Angeles Chargers on November 12.

NFL Teams Rising During the Second Half of the Season

Campbell won’t have to think very hard to find an example to show his players that NFL  teams can vastly improve during the second half of the season. It happened for the Lions just last year.

Detroit needed a win in Week 9 to finish the first half of the 2022 season 2-6. But starting in Week 10, the Lions won seven of their final nine games to end the campaign with a winning record at 9-8.

The Lions only have one opponent with a winning record on their schedule before Christmas Eve. But that doesn’t mean some of those teams won’t be playing better in November and December than they did during the first two months of the season.

Detroit might not be able to afford any slips if it intends to win the NFC North for the first time. With four straight victories, the Minnesota Vikings now sit at 5-4, which is only 1.5 games behind the Lions.

What Dan Campbell Wants the Lions to Improve

Campbell was more specific about what the Lions need to improve upon when he spoke to the media on November 6. The head coach described the red zone, turnover differential and third-quarter production as areas where the team must get better.

The Lions scored touchdowns on just 1 of 5 red zone possessions in their most recent matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. For the season, the Lions have scored touchdowns on 48.15% of their trips in the red zone, which is ranked 24th in the NFL.

Detroit also has an even 0 turnover margin. While that’s perfectly average, it’s not a turnover margin most championship teams possess. Since 2016, only 2 out of 16 Super Bowl participants have not posted a positive turnover differential in the regular season.

Third quarters have been a bit of a rough spot for the Lions too. Opponents have outscored the Lions 42-24 during the third quarter this season.

The good news is lots of position groups have stood out at various times during the first half of the season. Campbell implied on November 10 that it’s now about the team bringing it all together.

“I’ve said this, we still have not put a complete game together with all three phases in one game,” Campbell said. “We’ve complimented, but that’s what we have to do.”