Getty Images

It’s hard to glean too much from the Hall of Fame Game, but the Detroit Lions lacked in one of the most fundamental aspects of football: ball security. The opening kickoff was a sign of what was to come for Detroit when Grant Stuard fumbled the return, leading to a Chargers touchdown on the ensuing drive. With three interceptions and another fumble, the Lions turned the ball over a total of five times in a 34-7 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, and coach Dan Campbell had a clear message for players fighting to make the roster.

“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 said in his postgame press conference.

Veteran journeyman quarterback Kyle Allen got the start for the Lions, and while he made a few good throws, he also threw a pair of interceptions on 14 attempts. Hendon Hooker, pushing Allen to be Jared Goff’s primary backup, came in and tossed an interception on six attempts in the second half.

“The story of the game was we turned it over five times and didn’t get any takeaways,” Campbell said. “So, that’s hard from that standpoint, when you put your defense in that position. It’s tough.”

Detroit only went on two drives of 50-plus yards in the game, but two possessions ended before they even started. After Stuard fumbled the opening kickoff, Jakobie Keeney-James fumbled a punt return after the Lions forced a three-and-out to start the second half.

“Offensively, it’s hard to get in a rhythm when you turn the ball over like that,” Campbell said.

Looking ahead to his team’s next preseason game, which comes against the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 8, Campbell said he and his coaching staff have plenty of coaching to do.

“We’ve got to get significantly better,” Campbell said. “We’ve got to coach them better, and they have to play better next week. … I wanna give these guys a chance to play better, so we will.”