MUNICH – The Patriots are gearing up for an international showdown vs. the Lions at Allianz Arena in Germany on Sunday, and there's some positive pre-game news for New England.
Patriots star WR A.J. Brown (ankle/knee) and top RB Rhamondre Stevenson (knee) are officially active after being listed as questionable for Sunday's game. Brown returns from a two-game absence while Stevenson won't miss any games after initial reports suggested he would miss time with his knee injury. New England's inactives are CB Carlton Davis III (knee), C/G Ben Brown (knee), G Walter Rouse (concussion), S Brenden Schooler (hamstring), OT Dametrious Crownover, and rookie Behren Morton is the emergency third quarterback.
Starting on offense, Brown is returning to the Patriots passing attack after missing the last two games due to an additional knee injury to his recovering high-ankle sprain. Brown's knee reportedly flared up in practice heading into Week 8, keeping him out against the Dolphins and Packers. Brown has played in only three of the first nine games, tallying nine catches for 101 yards after being acquired in the offseason for a 2028 first-round pick.
Optimism grew that Brown was nearing a return to the lineup when he began practicing again earlier this week. Brown then traveled with the team and participated in a limited capacity in both sessions at FC Bayern Munich. Although the first nine games haven't gone as planned, there's still plenty of season left for Brown to make an impact, and it feels like he could have a breakout performance as soon as Sunday.
As for the Patriots backfield, Stevenson deserves credit for playing through a knee injury that many reports suggested would sideline him for multiple weeks. Instead, Stevenson missed only one practice, returning in a limited capacity on Thursday and Friday in Munich. The Pats top back leads the team in touches (128), scrimmage yards (657), and is tied for the team lead with four touchdowns. Stevenson also leads all Patriots skill players with 378 snaps this season.
Along with being a high-volume rusher, Stevenson is an elite pass-blocker, and the Patriots lean heavily on him to pick up third-down blitzes. It'll be interesting to see how much Stevenson can play on Sunday, with the Patriots having Corey Kiner and Lan Larison active as running back depth. One thought is for Kiner, who has flashed as a runner, to cut into Stevenson's early-down carries so the Pats RB1 can focus on passing situations.
The Patriots also have top FB Reggie Gilliam returning from a five-game absence. Gilliam was activated from injured reserve, setting up his return to the lineup this week. Before his stint on injured reserve, Gilliam wasn't overly effective, so the hope is that the free-agent addition will be more impactful now that he's had some time to rest a lingering knee issue. With Gilliam active, blocking TE Cameron Latu is inactive this week due to a back injury.
QB Drake Maye's Supporting Cast vs. Lions
OL - LT Campbell, LG Van Roten, C Wilson, RG Pryor, RT Moses
WR - Brown, Hollins, Douglas, Chism III, Williams
TE/FB - Henry, Raridon, Gilliam (FB), Latu
RB - Stevenson, Kiner, Larison
Along the offensive line, the Patriots also activated veteran Greg Van Roten from injured reserve. The 36-year-old guard hasn't played since injuring his hamstring in Week 3, but with several injuries, Van Roten is expected to start at left guard on Sunday. The Pats two starting guards, Alijah Vera-Tucker (hamstring) and Mike Onwenu (ankle), are on injured reserve while Ben Brown (knee) and Walter Rouse (concussion) are inactive for this one. New England elevated G Andrew Rupcich from the practice squad to serve as the top interior backup to starting RG Matt Pryor and Van Roten.
Moving to the other side of the ball, the big question mark was who would be available at cornerback for the Patriots. New England previously ruled out starting CB Carlton Davis III (knee), who didn't travel to Germany, while CB Charles Woods (hamstring) was questionable after being a late scratch last week. Woods is officially active on Sunday, giving the Patriots their preferred top backup at the outside cornerback spot opposite star CB Christian Gonzalez.
With Gonzalez and Woods as their projected outside corners, NCB Marcus Jones will defend the slot. The Pats then have rookie corners Karon Prunty and Channing Canada as depth. Prunty played the final 18 snaps in Davis's spot without Woods last week, allowing a 10-yard touchdown to Packers WR Savion Williams. Prunty will be the fourth corner again if Gonzalez, Jones, or Woods can't finish the game.
The Patriots defense is looking for a bounce-back performance. Detroit ranks fourth in pass EPA while the Lions receivers are seldom tested in man coverage. Lions QB Jared Goff has faced man coverage on only 12.4% of his drop-backs, the second-lowest rate among 31 qualified QBs. With the Patriots struggling in zone coverage, it'll be interesting to see how well they defend the Lions offense after allowing a Vrabel-era high 45 points to the Packers last week.
Lastly, Patriots special teams ace Brenden Schooler is officially inactive due to a hamstring injury. As the leader of the Patriots special teams, Schooler is typically a five-phase special-teamer, so the Patriots will be shorthanded in the kicking game this week.
The Patriots and Lions kickoff at 9:30 am ET at Allianz Arena in Munich on Sunday.
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