Five bold predictions as the Patriots get ready to host the Lions

Rough, rough week for our bold predictions in Green Bay. Hunter Henry continues to be irrelevant in the Patriots passing game, Jakobi Meyers was ruled out on Saturday and Matt Patricia stopped giving Rhamondre Stevenson the ball even though he was running hard. But hey, the Patriots finally picked off Aaron Rodgers and Jack Jones returned it for a touchdown to boot.

As the Patriots host the Detroit Lions Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium, some questions remain unanswered. Will Mac Jones suit up? Are D’Andre Swift and Amon-Ra St. Brown going to play for the Lions? While we may not know the answers until game time, here are my five bold predictions for what might happen during the game on Sunday afternoon.

Five bold predictions for the Patriots in week five

Matthew Judon records a sack in fifth straight game

Judon has started the 2022 season off fast with a sack in each of the first four games. With a sack on Sunday, he would become the first Patriots player to begin a season with a sack in each of the first five games. Hall of Famer Andre Tippett is the only other Patriot to do it in the first four games, achieving that feat in 1986.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff has only been sacked five times all season, but I think Judon can get to him at least once. In three career games against Bill Belichick and the Patriots (all of which came as a member of the Rams), Goff was sacked nine times.

Five bold predictions for the Patriots in week five

Patriots have a 100 yard rusher

Through four games, the Patriots have not had a 100-yard rusher, but I think that changes on Sunday. As good as Bailey Zappe was last week, the coaching staff signaled that they did not trust him to make plays as they kept the ball in the hands of their running backs down the stretch. While that still may be the case this weekend, they’ll want to keep the ball in the hands of Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson because the Lions rush defense is putrid.

The Lions rank 30th in the NFL as they have allowed 662 rushing yards so far this season. Rashaad Penny of the Seahawks ran for 151 yards on only 17 carries last week and three other times the Lions have allowed rushers to go over 90 yards. If the Patriots plan on holding onto the ball and keeping the high-scoring Lions off the field, expect them to have their first 100-yard rusher of the season.

Five bold predictions for the Patriots in week five

Team holds TJ Hockenson under 75 receiving yards

While the Patriots still seem unable to incorporate $50 million dollars’ worth of tight ends into their own offense, they’ve seen plenty of teams beat them with a tight end so far in 2022. In week two, Steelers’ tight end Pat Freiermuth was able to beat safety Adrian Phillips for a touchdown. Week three saw Ravens tight ends combine for three touchdowns and just last week Packers tight end Robert Tonyan found a soft spot between linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. and safety Devin McCourty for a touchdown. It doesn’t get any easier this week with T.J. Hockenson.

If the Lions are without the services of receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and running back D’Andre Swift on Sunday, I think it will be easier for the Patriots defense to key in on Hockenson in the passing game. A week after he gained 179 yards through the air, I think the Patriots (especially with a healthy Kyle Dugger) can limit Hockenson to under 75 yards receiving.

Five bold predictions for the Patriots in week five

Kendrick Bourne leads the team in receiving

Don’t look now, but Kendrick Bourne slowly seems to be making his way out of Matt Patricia’s dog house. Bourne played just two snaps in the season opener (and hilariously still finished second on the team with 41 receiving yards) but has since seen that increase, topping off at 26 snaps (45%) in Green Bay last week. Bourne was even involved in the running game, taking an end around 15 yards so it seems that things are trending up.

If Zappe is indeed at quarterback this week, I think the Patriots will try to limit the number of mistakes he could make by simplifying the playbook for him. I also think that they will try to get the ball out of his hands fast, especially against a defense that likes to blitz. Look for the Patriots to include Bourne in the quick passing game, potentially with some wide receiver screens or quick outs.

Five bold predictions for the Patriots in week five

Tyquan Thornton catches a touchdown

You came for the bold predictions, so I’ve saved the boldest for last: rookie receiver Tyquan Thornton will catch a touchdown on Sunday. Thornton has been out since August with a collarbone injury but has returned to practice this week and was spotted at Friday’s practice without the red non-contact jersey on. The Patriots have until 4:00 PM EST Saturday to activate Thornton and have an open spot on the 53-man roster with Brian Hoyer now on IR.

I think Thornton sees the field on Sunday and the offense tries to air one out to the speedster out of Baylor.