The New England Patriots face the Detroit Lions in Munich on Sunday, hoping to end their current streak of bad luck after taking a beatdown from the Packers last week.
The team is currently 5-4, which is good enough for second place in the AFC East, and is now playing to make the playoffs, since any hope of repeating as AFC East champions has basically gone down the drain.
The Lions, on the other hand, are in a stacked division, with all teams above .500, as they sit at 6-2 and hope to keep their momentum going with another win this weekend.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, they reverted to their early-season form against the Packers and were clobbered 45-27 at Gillette Stadium. They're hoping to pick up the pieces in Week 10, but they'll have to stop shooting themselves in the foot if they want to.
The Patriots have 3 parts of their performance they need to fix to have a real chance vs. the Lions
The Patriots have to get three things right if they want any chance of beating the Lions in Munich, Germany.
First, they have to protect the ball. Drake Maye was expected to be a difference-maker against the Packers. Instead, he threw three interceptions that basically put the Patriots down the road to their fourth loss. That can't be repeated if the Patriots are going to emerge from Germany with a win.
After a superb October, which earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Month honors, Maye reverted to his early-season form and threw three interceptions in the first half. In addition, Rhamondre Stevenson, who was injured in the game, also fumbled the fourth turnover, and that was about all the Packers needed to drub the Patriots on their home turf.
The offensive line also has to improve. While they're riddled with injuries, they allowed three sacks last week. If that continues, they will have tough sledding against the Lions, who are third in the NFL with 27 sacks.
That's a lot to expect from an offensive line that's been decimated by injuries, with two of its initial starters, guards Mike Onwenu and Alijah Vera-Tucker, out of the lineup. The Patriots' personnel department didn't do enough to shore up the offensive line's depth in the offseason, and it's predictably costing the team now.
A third thing that needs immediate improvement is the play of one of the Patriots' two best players, cornerback Christian Gonzalez. The Packers torched Gonzalez for 187 yards combined from Christian Watson and Matthew Golden.
It was Gonzalez's worst game of his career, and maybe one of the worst performances by any NFL cornerback in 2026. If that doesn't improve, the Patriots will have a long flight back from Munich after the Lions game.
Those are three major areas for improvement if the Patriots want any chance of beating a very tough Detroit Lions squad.
Absent improvements in those three, however, the Patriots will return home with a 5-5 record, and their hopes for any chance at an NFL wild-card playoff berth will further diminish.
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