- Joined
- Aug 13, 2005
- Messages
- 19,365
- Reaction score
- 13,049
With the win against the Colts just barely 24 hours old it seems way too early to start this thread.
But reality is kickoff is at Detroit is just 2½ days away.
Pats are listed as a 6½ to 7 point favorite.
As a franchise the Pats lead the series 5-4; Pats are 2-1 against Detroit under Belichick, and 2-0 with Brady at QB. Pats won 28-21 in '06 at home, won 20-12 in '02 away, and lost 34-9 at Detroit in 2000.
Boxscore finder: New England Patriots vs Detroit Lions - Pro-Football-Reference.com
While most of the folks on this board seem to be giving the Lions a lot of credit for improving this year, the mood is not quite so upbeat in Detroit after losing to the Cowboys:
How can we really say the Lions have progressed? | freep.com | Detroit Free Press
But reality is kickoff is at Detroit is just 2½ days away.
Pats are listed as a 6½ to 7 point favorite.
As a franchise the Pats lead the series 5-4; Pats are 2-1 against Detroit under Belichick, and 2-0 with Brady at QB. Pats won 28-21 in '06 at home, won 20-12 in '02 away, and lost 34-9 at Detroit in 2000.
Boxscore finder: New England Patriots vs Detroit Lions - Pro-Football-Reference.com
While most of the folks on this board seem to be giving the Lions a lot of credit for improving this year, the mood is not quite so upbeat in Detroit after losing to the Cowboys:
How can we really say the Lions have progressed? | freep.com | Detroit Free Press
We can sit here and say that the Lions have made progress. We can point to the close losses and the improved defensive line and the improved offensive play calling. But 2-8 is 2-8. And 26 losses in a row on the road is just that: 26 losses in a row on the road. Words are so tired at this point. As long as the losing continues, words are useless.
Let’s just state the facts.
• In consecutive weeks, the Lions lost to an 0-8 team and a 2-7 team. How are you making progress when you essentially serve as a homecoming opponent for struggling teams?
• The Lions have committed at least 10 penalties in five of their last six games. Even if you want to take away Ndamukong Suh's “horse collar” penalty the officials clearly blew, that’s still an alarming number. I have no doubt that Schwartz and the coaching staff are working to eliminate the ugly trend. But how are you making progress when nothing improves?
• The running game continues to be nonexistent. They ran the ball 20 times Sunday for 75 yards against a defense that came into the game allowing more than 117 yards per game (22nd in the NFL). Sure, Kevin Smith is out, and Jahvid Best is hobbled. But how are you making progress when you can't establish a running game against some of the worst defenses in the league?
• Bryant Johnson was in street clothes Sunday, and he wasn’t hurt. How are you making progress when you’re paying a guy $3.1 million, and he's not even good enough play for a team that doesn’t have a good option for a No. 3 receiver?