The future for both general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia with the Detroit Lions could be on the line over the next two games.
The 2019 NFL regular season has not ended up the way the Detroit Lions clearly hoped it would. With a 3-6-1 record, the Motor City once again find themselves in the basement of the NFC North division. With six games left on their schedule, there seems to be little hope of the Lions besting their disappointing 6-10 record under first-year head coach Matt Patricia in 2018.
That’s especially worrisome as Detroit elected to bring in several high-priced free agents this offseason to fit both Patricia’s scheme and the new culture he and general manager Bob Quinn are attempting to install in the locker room.
Throw in another talented draft class, and the Lions were expected to improve upon their record from 2018. Yet, 10 games into this season and there is a real chance Detroit actually posts a worse record. And that has fans questioning whether Lions’ fickle owner Martha Ford will elect to move on from the Patriots Midwest experiment after less than two years.
Here’s how Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press responded during a live chat session on Friday about Lions’ ownership possibly electing to move on from Quinn and Patricia at the end of this season.
"“Right now I would say nothing happens to Quinn or Patricia. But that can change depending on unforeseen factors over the final 6 games. I think the next two games are imperative. If they beat Washington and aren’t embarrassed on Thanksgiving, I’d say they’re safe. But let’s not forget Stafford isn’t playing. That’s a huge bail out for this regime.”"
Over the next five days, the Lions will face the 1-9 Washington Redskins in Maryland and the 4-6 Chicago Bears in Detroit on Thanksgiving. A loss to the ill-fated Redskins would constitute as the Pride’s worst defeat of the season, even without injured quarterback Matthew Stafford under center. And it would offer little hope of turning this team around anytime soon.
The Detroit Lions lost to the Chicago Bears back in Week 10 to the tune of 20-13 at Soldier Field. But their Week 13 holiday matchup figures to be much more impactful due to the massive Thanksgiving audience who will be watching. If Detroit isn’t competitive against a struggling Bears’ team and embarrasses the franchise, that could be enough to convince Ford to pull the plug on this current regime.