The beginning of the Dan Campbell tenure with the Detroit Lions has gotten off to a rough start.
Firstly, key players are inactive as they are battling injuries. Taylor Decker, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Tyrell Williams, and Trey Flowers have all missed at least one game. Not to forget, Jeff Okudah suffered an Achilles injury during Week 1 that will sideline him for the entire season.
Secondly, the Lions are still winless going into Week 4.
Now let’s be fair.
They are in the first year of a proper franchise overhaul. And being logical, many expected the team to suffer its fair share of losses. However, the Lions have had opportunities to win at least one game so far, specifically this past Sunday against the Ravens. Questions have surrounded the Lions’ decision to settle for a field goal and the ill-advised timeout in the final moments.
By now, it’s no secret the Lions allowed the Ravens to convert on 4th and 19, paving the way for a 66-yard game-winning field goal from Justin Tucker.
And not to forget, before going through the goal post, the ball bounced off the crossbar and hung in the air before flipping forward.
That’s a lot of unfortunate circumstances working against the Lions at once. And if the morale in the locker room were low because of it, who could blame them?
That’s not the case with this group, however. And it starts at the top.
Despite everything mentioned, Dan Campbell remains upbeat.
“Look, anytime you lose, it doesn’t feel good,” said Campbell. “I feel like we have the right guys on this team. I really do. With what we showed Sunday and what this team was capable of doing, even though we didn’t win, I felt it told a lot about who we are and what we’re made up of.”
“And I feel like even today, just watching these guys come in and looking at them in their eyes, they’re ready to go. I think they’re pretty resilient, and they understand the fruits of their labor, and it showed the other day. They’re hungry and ready to go. I think they’re going to be ready to go. And that’s all you can ask for is you go back to work, and you just don’t give in to losses. You don’t go numb to it. You do whatever you have to, to get a little bit better and make one more play than the opponent does.”
The Lions will look to get their first win of the season this upcoming Sunday vs. the Bears. And by the looks of it, they might be without a key player.
Lions EDGE rusher Trey Flowers was absent from practice on Wednesday, as he’s still nursing a shoulder and knee injury. There’s no official word on his status for the upcoming game. Fortunately for the Lions, their defense played exceptionally well against the Ravens, even in a loss.
With the Bears’ offensive line performing poorly this season, the improving Lions defense could take advantage and get to the quarterback with ease.
Follow Kory Woods on Twitter at KoryEWoods.
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