Patriots Fall to Lions 26-10 for 2nd Straight Loss
GoLocalProv Sports Team
Patriots Fall to Lions 26-10 for 2nd Straight Loss
It is the Patriots first loss to the Lions since 2000.
It is also the first time the Patriots have lost back-to-back games since 2015.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe loss drops the Patriots to 1-2 on the season, while the Lions improve to 1-2 overall.
Slow Start Proves Costly
For the second straight game, the Patriots offense was nearly shut out in the first half.
In the first quarter, the Patriots offense managed only five total yards, and no first downs, while the Lions had over 100 yards of offense in the quarter and a 3-0 lead.
In the second quarter Lions quarterback, Matt Stafford found receiver Kenny Golladay for a four-yard touchdown pass to put Detroit up 10-0 following the extra point from Matt Prater.
With just under five minutes to play, Prater would hit a 25-yard field goal to put Detroit up 13-0.
The Patriots picked up their first 1st down of the game with just under three minutes to play in the first half.
The possession led to a field goal to cut the Lions lead to 13-3 at the break.
In the last two games, the Patriots have been outscored 37-6 in the first half.
Third Quarter Spark
In the third quarter, the Patriots got a spark when rookie linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley picked off Stafford at the 50-yard line to give the offense the ball back.
Seven plays later, Tom Brady found James White for a 10-yard touchdown pass to cut the Lions lead to 13-10.
However, that would be as close as the Patriots would get.
With 3:45 left in the third, Stafford connected with Marvin Jones Jr. on a 33-yard touchdown pass to push Detroit’s lead to 20-10.
Detroit would add two field goals in the fourth quarter to take a 26-10 lead.
They would cruise to the win.
Brady completed 14 of 26 passes for 133 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Next Up
The Patriots return to action on Sunday, September 30 when they host the 3-0 Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium.
Game time is set for 1 p.m.
5 Reasons Why This Will Be the Patriots Last Trip to the Super Bowl for a Long While
1.
Charlie and Romeo Factor —The last time the offensive and defensive coordinators left the same year after a Super Bowl — the 2004 Super Bowl — it took the Patriots three more years to get back to the Super Bowl. The big difference now is Tom Brady is 40 years old.
2.
Gisele Caroline Bündchen — According to press reports, Tom Brady's wife Gisele Bündchen tried to convince her husband to retire from football during this past offseason. After watching Gronk’s concussion in the AFC Championship and then Brandin Cook’s head injury in the Super Bowl, the pressure on Brady will only increase.
According to Sports Illustrated, Bündchen did it by trying to get Brady’s college teammate and friend Jay Feely to help her during a vacation this past spring.
Feely, a retired NFL kicker, told Sports Illustrated, “She was trying to get me to convince Tom to stop playing. She was dead serious.”
Feely says that he told Brady to "play as long as you can."
This news comes after Bündchen said in a May interview with CBS that Brady had suffered unreported concussions.
3.
Dante Scarnecchia — The Patriots offensive line coach will be 70 years old on February 14. He retired once and was lured back by Bill Belichick. The two-years he was away, the Patriots offensive line was a mess and Brady took a beating. If he goes, Brady’s thought process on retiring may be impacted.
4.
Emily Kelly — A New York Times opinion piece this past week titled, “I’m the Wife of a Former N.F.L. Player. Football Destroyed His Mind. He chose the sport, but he did not choose brain damage,” is a big impact story.
The piece was written by Emily Kelly. She wrote, “My husband, Rob Kelly, is a retired N.F.L. player. After five seasons as a safety beginning in the late 1990s, four with the New Orleans Saints and one with the New England Patriots, he sustained an injury to a nerve between his neck and shoulder during training camp that ended his career. By the time he retired in 2002 at 28, he had been playing tackle football for about two decades. Rob had no idea, however, that all those years of playing would have such serious consequences.
Kelly’s continued, “He went from being a devoted and loving father and husband to someone who felt like a ghost in our home. For a couple of months one winter he was so depressed and detached, he couldn’t muster up the energy to speak. My questions went unanswered until I simply stopped asking them. The silence was unnerving.”
5.
Ever More Fragile Relationship Between Brady and Media — Call it the “WEEI pissant factor.” Despite Brady appearing on WEEI for years via a paid agreement, a WEEI host decided to call Tom Brady’s daughter an unflattering name. Brady was less than pleased.
For Brady, this year’s media relationship transformed from a decade-and-a-half love affair to a strained one.
BONUS
Gronk's Future
Rob Gronkowski may retire. "I don't know how you heard that, but I mean I'm definitely going to look at my future, for sure," Gronkowski said. "I'm going to sit down in the next couple of weeks and see where I'm at."
It is harder to sleep soundly when you don't have your security blanket.
