The Patriots are off to Germany for the second time in franchise history where they'll take on their third NFC North opponent in four weeks. New England couldn't solve the Packers downfield passing attack and now they'll get another difficult test from Jared Goff and a Lions offense that ranks fifth in points, 10th in DVOA and has just five giveaways the entire season.
Injuries continue to hamper New England, with three more starters – Rhamondre Stevenson, Carlton Davis III and Ben Brown – all going down against the Packers. Davis, Brown and TreVeyon Henderson were already ruled out before the team departed to Munich, while reports indicate that Stevenson is also unlikely to play this week.
Another week, another set of injury decimations, this time at running back and cornerback. It's par for the course for the 2026 Patriots.
At 5-4, just before their awaited bye week, the Patriots are about to enter the time of the season when the best teams start to separate and make their playoff push. New England remains in the thick of the playoff hunt, with FTN Sports projecting a 67.6% chance at making the postseason and a win over the Lions would help solidify their standing.
Detroit will be an excellent final test before the break and the Lions defense, which ranks 32nd in both passing yards and passing touchdowns allowed, could prove to be a "get right" game for Drake Maye and the passing offense, which could see the return of A.J. Brown to the lineup.
Here are three critical areas to watch in Germany!
1. Start Fast
For three games in a row the Patriots have found themselves in an early double-digit hole due to slow starts. It couldn't have been much worse last week when Maye's first pass was intercepted and the Patriots second drive went three-and-out. Green Bay responded with touchdowns both times and just like that it was 14-0 less than halfway through the first quarter.
It's a troubling trend after perfect weeks against the Bills and Raiders. In Buffalo the New England defense forced a quick three-and-out and then grabbed a 7-0 lead that eventually led to the biggest win of the season. They did the same thing the following week against the Raiders, en route to a 45-17 blowout win.
International games can be challenging due to travel and the time change. The team that can adjust quickly and get an early lead could have the inside track on getting the win as those factors add up later in the game.
Coming off a disappointing home loss to the Packers, the Patriots should be fired up and ready to come out swinging.
2. Effort and Finish
The theme this week for the Patriots should be a return to their own team identity. Players commented in the wake of the Packers loss that they weren't playing to their own style, instead having to play on the terms dictated by their opponent.
"We've got to find a way to be consistent," said Drake Maye this week. "Coach preaches that, being consistent, being the answer. And in these games when you face adversity, we got to do a better job, beginning with me, of handling it and playing games from ahead. That's the biggest thing, offensively speaking from offensively. And then from a team standpoint, we got to band together."
The first tenet of Mike Vrabel's Patriots team identity is "Effort and Finish" which is printed on the wall of their team meeting room of the New Balance Athletics Center. But the Lions will have something to say about it.
Head coach Dan Campbell has his own squad that plays with "effort and finish," not to mention consistent aggressiveness. It's a clash of two teams who want to bully opponents into submission, and that should make for a heavyweight fight that goes down to the end.
3. (D)etails, (T)echinique, (F)undamentals
Another of Vrabel's core tenets, the details, technique and fundamentals have been lacking in recent weeks. Ill-timed penalties, sloppy tackling and missed opportunities have haunted New England and played an outsized role in some of their defeats.
And that's not even mentioning that they're tied for the league-worst in turnover differential –- file that one under another tenet: ball disruption and ball security.
The team has to hammer down on these details to give themselves a chance to pull off the marginal upset. Detroit does not make a lot of mistakes. Goff just threw his second interception of the entire season last week! The Lions won't beat themselves and they'll force you into bad decisions if you let them with their aggressiveness.
Can the Patriots clean up all the sloppiness in the challenging environment of an international game? If they can do it once in Germany it could spark a needed shift for the final seven games, of which four will be at home.
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