Well, it went sideways for the Patriots in Munich, and fast. Not only did they get absolutely stomped 35-10 by the Lions, but quarterback Drake Maye went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter, forcing him out of the game entirely. This came after they headed to Germany with big expectations, hoping to bounce back from a blowout loss to the Packers the previous week. It was a rough day all around.
The “Good”? Two Picks, I Guess
When you lose by 25 points, finding the positives is like trying to find a parking spot on game day: almost impossible. But if we must, then yeah, the two interceptions against Lions QB Jared Goff were something. Christian Gonzalez snagged the first one, undercutting a pass meant for Amon-Ra St. Brown for his first pick of the year. Later in the first half, Kevin Byard grabbed another one in the back of the end zone. On a day where the defense was mostly a mess, and Patriots football as a whole was struggling, those two moments were genuinely encouraging. Seriously, that’s about it for the “good.”
The “Bad”: Tackling That Got Torched
The defense, man. Where do you even start? Tackling against the Lions was just plain awful across the board. Pro Football Focus clocked the unit with 10 missed tackle attempts before the backups even came in late in the fourth quarter. And it wasn’t just the quantity, it was the quality, or lack thereof. On Detroit’s very first touchdown of the day, Gonzalez had St. Brown short of the sticks, a chance to force a punt. Instead, he came in too hot, St. Brown sidestepped him, and then took that short pass 56 yards for a score because Craig Woodson took a questionable angle and Marcus Jones failed to get him to the ground either. Then on St. Brown’s second touchdown? More of the same subpar tackling. Christian Elliss, Kevin Byard, and Woodson all had shots to bring him down, and all failed. That very much was the theme of the day for the Patriots on the defensive side of the ball.
The “S,t That Gets You Beat”: Losing Drake Maye
Now, we usually try to steer clear of injury talk in these breakdowns, but this isn’t just any injury. As head coach Mike Vrabel explained in 2025, this is the “s,t that gets you beat.” The Patriots actually looked sharp on their first drive, moving the ball well. Then, back-to-back red zone penalties stalled them out. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Maye got sacked on third down, forcing a field goal. And right after that sack, he suffered an ankle injury that ultimately forced him out of the game. There is no sugar-coating it: this is bad. Even though he has had a hit-or-
It’s a brutal hit for a team that came into this game with big expectations. This kind of lopsided loss, capped off by a major injury to the quarterback, sets a tough tone. Now, the team has to figure out how to rebound from the “s,t that gets you beat” and keep those expectations alive.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pats Pulpit.
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