The Detroit Lions offense is not living up to the preseason hype or lofty expectations, not through the first two weeks. A unit that was top five in both yards and points in each of the last two seasons is still cranking out the yards, but the points have been painfully difficult to produce.
Ben Johnson’s offense is currently second in yardage but ranks 16th in points. Going 1-for-7 in the red zone in the Week 2 loss to the Buccaneers will do that. The inefficient scoring offense might be stunning to fans in Detroit and around the country, but Lions head coach Dan Campbell doesn’t seem surprised by the relative struggles early on from his offense.
“I’m not shocked. I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t be shocked if we’re not cooking by the time we get to the bye. Sometimes it takes a minute,” Campbell said Tuesday on 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit. “All those great offenses we’ve had in New Orleans, the great offenses we’ve had here over the last three years, man, it’s not always perfect early, so I’m not rattled or shaken by this at all.”
As Campbell continued, it’s clear the coach is neither shaken nor stirred by the sluggish offensive start.
“We are so much closer than a lot of people realize. Our players understand it, the coaches understand it. But we just have to correct, really, those issues that came up the other day. Just the small little details and the nuances of the game plan per the opponent, because we made so many improvements from the Rams game.”