It’s a real challenge for the Detroit Lions to open the 2023 season in Kansas City. The Chiefs are the defending NFL champions and bring back an offense that led the league in both points and yards in 2022.
For the Lions, it appears to be a daunting task. Detroit finished 28th in points allowed and 32nd in yards surrendered. Even with a revamped secondary and one of the NFL’s deepest pass rushes, the Lions are in for quite a test on Thursday night.
Buy Lions TicketsDetroit head coach Dan Campbell has a plan of attack to slow down Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Chiefs:
Turnovers.
“Yeah, look I think we need takeaways,” Campbell said before Friday’s practice session. “We need takeaways. We’ve got to convert on third down on offense and we need takeaways on defense. I think that’s what we have to come away this game with and I think we’ll say that all year long.”
In the 8-2 run to finish the 2022 campaign, Campbell’s Lions created 16 takeaways and committed just four. The two games Detroit lost, Buffalo and Carolina, saw the Lions create just one takeaway against three offensive giveaways.
Campbell has confidence in the new-look secondary to make those takeaways happen.
“Yeah, I feel very confident,” Campbell stated. “I do believe that we’ve got some playmakers back there on the backend and so I think we’re much better suited than we’ve been here to come up with some – man, you get some tipped balls, overthrows, get a hand on a ball that we’re going to come down with those, and not only there on the backend, but I think we’ll have the ability to squeeze the pocket on these guys and just really all year I believe we’ll be able to do that with our front. And so, that bodes well to getting some takeaways, those two things.”
