While the New England Patriots (5-4) got off on an uninspiring foot this season, they've begun to hit their stride as of late. Specifically, quarterback Drake Maye - who was an MVP finalist last season - has started to shake off some of the early year rust that had some wondering if his 2025 campaign had been a bit flukey.
It makes the Detroit Lions' (6-2) task of taking them down in their Munich game this Sunday a bit more daunting than anticipated. The AFC East is no joke, similarly to the NFC North's competitiveness, but that division is more of a two-way race rather than the four-way fight that's occurring this season. New England cannot be underestimated.
With a bit of a treacherous travel schedule - the Lions arrived in Munich on Thursday ahead of a 9:30am EST start on Sunday - Detroit can't afford to not look as sharp as possible against a sneakily good Patriots team.
4 matchups to worry about ahead of Lions-Patriots game
Drake Maye vs. Lions' improved secondary
The Lions will not have Kerby Joseph back for this game, but they do have Brian Branch back in the fold to help out with cutting back on explosive plays allowed. This is a point of emphasis for the Lions' defense this week, same as it was against Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers in Week 7. Sheppard told reporters ahead of the Lions' matchup against Drake Maye:
“Yeah, we see the takeaway. They're number 31 in the league right now. I think as far as total margin, they're last. But, that means nothing because they're also the number one explosive team in the league when it comes to generating explosive plays. They've generated 80 of them thus far, which you look around the league. Everybody will say our offense is high powered and prolific. I think we've generated 74 or 75. So, he does a tremendous job extending plays, pushing the ball down the field. That's the way they want to play."
Maye can present a challenge to the Lions' improving secondary, but they did manage to limit a lot of Love's work in Week 7. That was in major thanks to Detroit's defensive front getting pressure on Love, and Branch's return putting pressure on Love to be accurate in the middle of the field. New England has some injury questions in their wide receiver core, specifically with A.J. Brown's availability. But, Detroit has to respect Maye's arm, especially on 3rd and long situations.
Christian Gonzalez vs. Jameson Williams
It's probably safe to assume that Christian Gonzalez will be posted up on Jameson Williams, with the speedy receiver seeing a major boost in involvement with the Lions' offense as of late.
Gonzalez might not be racking up interceptions this season, but he's got six pass breakups on the year. His pass defense has left something to be desired after getting a 4-year, $135 million extension this offseason, and this game could provide him a nice ego boost if he's able to shut Williams down completely.
While Amon-Ra St. Brown is sure to get the bulk of attention in this game, Williams will be a sneaky target that the Patriots will need to put a ton of attention on defensively.
Lions' D-line vs. Patriots' O-line
PFF has New England's offensive line ranked 12th overall through Week 9, but ESPN has their pass block win rate at 5th-overall over that same span of time. They're run blocking sits at 3rd-overall. This shows that, despite some injuries and inconsistency up front to begin the season, the Patriots have found success with getting Maye going and their (limited) run game going, as well.
They'll be without TreVeon Henderson for this bout, and Rhamondre Stevenson (knee) has a questionable tag as he's been limited in practice all week leading into this Munich game. That doesn't mean that Detroit shouldn't still be on their A-game to stop New England from killing them on the ground.
DJ Wonnum will be available for this contest after clearing concussion protocol, and that adds further pop to a line that's been anchored by him, Aidan Hutchinson, and Alim McNeill this season. While Maye is quite crafty in the pocket, the Lions have shown the ability to put destabilizing pressure on most quarterbacks with running prowess. The one exception has been Josh Allen, Maye's divisional rival.
Add us as a preferred source on Google