Detroit Lions:

Stidham looked like a player that already has a firm grasp of the offense. He looked extremely poised went thru his progressions and delivered the ball.

Meyers is generating a ton of buzz around his play and his early grasp of the Patriots playbook but Berrios, has shown signs of life against the Lions

Bill Belichick has always had a high percentage of hitting on is his ability to recognize and identify veteran players who can fill important roles f

Roberts will be given a chance to carve out a role for himself once training camp begins. His availability will be the biggest question mark facing him

Call Brown and Flowers victims of the “Patriot Way”, where the team will not become enamored with any particular player… The team won’t overspend

Last week against the Chiefs, as we said in our podcast this week, Van Noy was outstanding, he was flying all over the field,

The Patriots get back Julian Edelman after the Miami game and have Josh Gordon waiting in the wings. Will it be enough? We shall see.

We also wrote that the Detroit running game was the key defensively to the game. Stop the run and they’re one-dimensional.

Patriots are 45-6 since 2003 following a loss. Since realignment in 2002, the Patriots are 51-16 against the NFC, the best record in the NFL.

Last week in shaking off the rust, Michel had ten carries, we look to see him get about double the touches this week

In this episode of Patriots Fourth And Two, we previewed the upcoming game for the Patriots against the Lions, as we went through the major match-ups, and also shared the keys to victory. We also gave our predictions for the game.

However, to start the show, we did our “Around The League” segment and the topics this week included , analytics in football, the Super Bowl Half Time Show, and drafting the right players that fit your team.

In Week 16 ten road teams are favored to win. That number falls back to a more typical number in Week 17, with five home dogs. The Saints are the biggest road favorite, minus 8½ points at Tampa Bay. The largest spread of the week is in Foxboro, where the Patriots are favored by 16 versus the Jets. That game is one of four double-digit spreads. The narrowest odds are with Houston as a one-point underdog at Indianapolis.

Entering Week 16 five teams have clinched a playoff spot. The Patriots, Steelers, Jaguars, Eagles and Vikings have all punched a ticket for the post season. Philadelphia is the only team thus far to earn a first round bye.

In the AFC six teams have been eliminated: the Browns, Colts, Texans, Broncos, Bengals and Jets. The Dolphins and Raiders are technically alive, but comatose and on life support. The Chargers are not in much better shape, even though they are only one game behind the Chiefs in the AFC West. Most likely it is Ravens, Titans and Bills battling for two wild card spots.

The Giants, Bears, Forty Niners, Bucs, Cardinals, Skins and Packers are all officially eliminated. Dallas, Seattle and Detroit face tall odds to get in. Philadelphia and Minnesota have won their divisions and will host at least one playoff game. The only way the Rams don’t win the NFC West is to lose twice while Seattle wins twice. The NFC South is probably going to send three teams to the playoffs. Games involving the Saints, Panthers and Falcons are the most intriguing over the next two weeks. Atlanta is at New Orleans this week, and then the Falcons host Carolina next week.

The Patriots versus Raiders in Mexico City highlights a decent slate of pro football games in Week 11. Four games in particular stand out, conveniently with one in each time slot.

On paper the NFL Week 12 schedule does not offer many close games. Eleven games have a spread of 6½ or more and two games list odds of three points or less. The New England Patriots are the heaviest favorites, at -14½ at home versus Miami. Two other home teams are also double-digit favorites. Chicago is at Philadelphia (-11½) and Green Bay plays at Pittsburgh (-12½) next Sunday night.