The Detroit Lions fell and fell hard to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday, July 31, in an embarrassing 34-7 final score. It was a pie-in-the-face showing from the Lions and really displayed their weaknesses, especially in their quarterback No. 2 position. Let’s just forget about that game, okay?
![Lions and Chargers have high expectations as they open the NFL preseason in the Hall of Fame game]()
Following the game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell had some very harsh words for his team. Let’s just say he was not happy, and he made it clear what he thought about their showing at the game.
Detroit Lions Head Coach is Not Happy
The Lions were on full display on Thursday, and they did not look good. What’s worse is that so many football viewers around the country were watching this game, even those who aren’t Lions or Chargers fans, because this was the very first preseason game of the years. So, the Lions looked dismal in front of everyone.
Campbell made his thoughts known after the game. “You want to win the game, you also want to play really well, and we didn’t do that,” Campbell said. “I would expect us to play much better next week.”
One of the big negatives from the game were all the turnovers. Campbell was unhappy about those, too. “We turned it over five times, and we didn’t get any takeaways,” Campbell said. “You’re wearing Lions gear, you’ve got to take care of the ball, or it’s going to be hard to keep you around.”Campbell also kind of had a threat for the players who are on the field and said they would have to perform better on Aug. 8 against the Falcons. “The message is, when you get an opportunity to make your plays, you’ve got to make your plays,” Campbell said. “We have to get significantly better. We’ve got to coach them better, and they’ve got to play better.”
Why the Detroit Lions Lost
So, why did the Chargers win? In a July 31 feature for CBS Sports, Garrett Podell and Cody Benjamin break it down, and it makes sense.
“Los Angeles took care of the football, and Detroit didn’t plain and simple,” they state. “The Chargers played a clean game while the Lions turned the ball over five times (three interceptions and two fumbles lost). (QB Trey) Lance was in clear control all night long while Allen appeared unprepared for the majority of his night.”
They add that the Lions lost because they “couldn’t find any consistent offense thanks to the aforementioned turnovers. It probably didn’t help that Thursday night served as the first game with new offensive coordinator John Morton at the controls after three seasons of a high-flying attack under the departed Ben Johnson.”
Finally, the play of the game, Podell and Benjamin note, was “Lance’s play-action touchdown toss to Dissly on the opening drive. The Chargers could have bungled away their early momentum after the Lions fumbled on the game’s opening kickoff, but instead Lance calmly executed a perfect toss to Dissley off a play-action bootleg. That play set the tone for what was to come the rest of the night.”
So, it was a bad night for the Lions. Let’s hope it’s a poor dress rehearsal and good main event.
