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Dan Campbell's latest plea to Lions has Jared Goff's name written all over it
Chicago Bears v Detroit Lions Nic Antaya/GettyImages

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is simply never satisfied. His team, which just walloped the Chicago Bears by a final score of 52-21 in Week 2, is still facing some scrutiny from Campbell.

Specifically, he felt like the Lions could've actually scored even more against the Bears had they done this one thing efficiently: capitalized on turnovers. He told "97.1 FM The Ticket" during his weekly appearance on Wednesday that the defense should've seen more done with the two turnovers they generated against Chicago.

"Man, our defense, you get two takeaways and two fourth down stops and we only come away with 14 points off of that, that’s not good enough. So that was my point to the team. And one of those was in plus territory. We have to capitalize on those, we do. When the defense gives you that and fights and scratches and claws to get a takeaway, you gotta turn those into points, so that’s where we can be a lot better and we’re going to have to be a lot better."

This critique feels like a big callout - in a good way - to Jared Goff and the Lions' key players on offense.

Goff gets subtle callout from Campbell about capitalizing on turnovers

Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and the rest of the Lions' offense had a great game against Chicago. Three touchdowns for St. Brown, along with a moon ball touchdown to Jameson Williams, is notable. But, as Campbell explained in his interview, getting even more opportunities to score when handed the reins back by the defense can't be taken for granted.

That's especially the case for their upcoming game against the Baltimore Ravens. They're about middle of the pack defensively to begin the year, mostly thanks to giving up 40 points to the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, but they have some elite pieces on their D-line and in their pass rush that could give Goff some fits.

READ MORE: Rookie Tyleik Williams providing Lions' defense an encouraging boost up front

If the Lions defense is able to give Goff more opportunities to score than typical, it makes it more likely that the Lions can score against this Ravens defense. Lamar Jackson, a perennial MVP candidate, already has six touchdowns to zero interceptions this season. Derrick Henry has one fumble through two games, making him a potential turnover target for Detroit's secondary - see: Brian Branch's fumble-generating hit on D'Andre Swift.

We've also yet to see a breakout game from Terrion Arnold, who has to be chomping at the bit to get his first INT of the season. If Detroit can make Baltimore pay for any errors on offense, it tilts things in the Lions' favor - which is exactly Campbell's point. Goff is on notice to make that happen if given the chance in Week 3.


This article first appeared on Side Lion Report and was syndicated with permission.

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