The Detroit Lions will travel to Munich for their Week 10 matchup against the New England Patriots with their quarterback and starting safety cleared to play, though the team must proceed without three key contributors on defense. Quarterback Jared Goff and safety Brian Branch both upgraded from limited to full participants in Thursday’s practice, eliminating concerns about their availability for the international contest. Jared Goff and Brian Branch were both full participants on Thursday.
Three Key Players Ruled Out
Head coach Dan Campbell had previously indicated that safety Kerby Joseph would not play in Germany, and the team officially ruled out Joseph, center Cade Mays, and cornerback D.J. Reed on Thursday afternoon. Kerby Joseph, center Cade Mays and cornerback D.J. Reed were ruled out Thursday. The absence of Mays and Reed marks their second consecutive game out with ankle and hip injuries respectively, while Joseph remains on the physically unable to perform list as he works toward a potential activation later in November. Joseph logged his first full practice of the season Thursday, but the team will not activate him from the PUP list until after the game.
Offense Must Avoid Slow Starts
Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing emphasized the need for his unit to match the defensive intensity seen during the team’s current four-game winning streak, specifically addressing the slow starts that have plagued the offense earlier in the season. Petzing said the last three drives of the last three games ended with running the ball and a different attitude than the beginning of the game. The coordinator challenged the offense to bring that same urgency from the first snap on Sunday, noting that the team cannot afford to ease into the game against a Patriots defense that excels at punishing slow starts. Detroit ranks 28th in the league for first-quarter scoring, averaging just 2.9 points, while averaging over seven points in each of the other three quarters.
Defense Limits Explosive Plays
Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard credited nose tackle Tyleik Williams and Alim McNeill as the catalyst for a defense that has allowed just 15.5 points per game over the last month, while the unit prepares to face a New England offense creating explosive plays at a high clip. Sheppard said the biggest improvement over the last month has been limiting the explosive plays that hurt them the first month of the season. The defense will also look to integrate newly acquired safety Andre Cisco immediately, with Campbell stating the plan is to get him contributing on special teams and potentially in defensive packages right away. Cisco played in a similar scheme under former Lions coordinator Aaron Glenn in New York, which should accelerate his acclimation.
Bates Wins Special Teams Award
Kicker Jake Bates earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after connecting on all field goal attempts last week plus an extra point for a 13-point effort in Detroit’s 19-9 win at Miami. Bates has missed just one field goal all year and is perfect on extra point tries. The special teams unit has now secured the award for three consecutive weeks, a streak that highlights the depth and reliability of the unit as the team prepares for the unique challenges of an overseas game.
This article was created by aggregating Detroit Lions news using Artificial Intelligence.
