Lions Send Message In Germany: 4 Takeaways From Detroit's Win Over The Patriots

Sunday's matchup in Munich was never particularly close. The Detroit Lions overpowered New England from start to finish en route to yet another win.

The Lions offense was dominant. Jared Goff threw two interceptions, but he was also 20-of-31 for 303 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs had 22 carries for 153 yards and two touchdowns, as well as seven receptions for 99 yards, while German-born receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had four catches for 98 yards and two scores.

Neither team made it out of the game unscathed, though, with the Patriots offense and Lions defense losing potentially their most important players.

Here are my takeaways:

After a wobbly first month, Detroit’s defense has found itself in a big way, keeping the Patriots in check in an easy win in Munich on Sunday.

From Week 5 to Week 9, the Lions gave up just 15.5 points per game, second-best in the NFL behind the Steelers (14.3), this after giving up twice as much per game in their 2-2 start.

Detroit's defense has been central in the team's five-game win streak to improve to 7-2, and it held the Patriots to just 69 yards in the first half to continue their recent dominance. 

Some of that is a secondary that's getting healthier. Safety Brian Branch returned three weeks ago, and Kerby Joseph will likely join him soon. Safety Andre Cisco, acquired this week from the Jets, made his Lions debut Sunday.

If the Lions are to challenge for an NFC North title, very much within their reach, that defense will have its biggest tests in two showdowns with former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, now in his second year with the Bears. Detroit hosts Chicago on Thanksgiving in 11 days, and then the rematch comes at Soldier Field in Week 17, potentially with the division on the line.

It’s a worst-case scenario for the NFL and both teams. 

Five minutes into Sunday’s game, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye had to leave the game with an ankle injury, and the player who sacked him, Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, was also sidelined with a knee injury sustained in celebrating the sack.

Maye was quickly ruled out, and while the play wasn’t flagged, Hutchinson brought him down with what is often considered a hip-drop tackle (although FOX Sports rules analyst Mike Pereira said it was ruled correctly on the field as not a penalty). Hutchinson did not return to the game, grabbing his knee in pain immediately after landing from a leaping celebration.

The Patriots struggled without Maye, with backup Tommy DeVito going 4-for-9 for 16 yards with an interception in the first half, which ended with New England down 21-3. If Maye were to be sidelined for any period of time, even the games seen as easy wins – like after their bye against the Chargers – suddenly become question marks.

As for Hutchinson, he missed 12 games in 2024 with a broken leg, and the Lions take a major hit without him as they try to keep up in the league’s best division. 

Even at 5-4 before Sunday, New England was in line to be a wild-card team and return to the playoffs, with enough winnable games on their remaining schedule to lock that up.

But if Maye were to miss significant time with his ankle injury – no timetable has been reported – would the same be said with DeVito at quarterback? There are three easy opponents still left to play – Chargers in two weeks, Jets in Week 16, Dolphins in Week 18 – but they won the first meetings against the Jets and Dolphins by seven and five points with Maye, so they’re not a given without him.

The Athletic’s playoff simulator had the Patriots with a 64% chance of making the playoffs before Sunday’s game, and that forecast dropped to 53% with the loss. That math doesn’t account for how many games they could be without Maye – it could give a team right now on the outside looking in, like the Ravens (4-5) or Texans (3-5), to get back in and compete for a last wild-card spot.

New England is rarely this ordinary after a Super Bowl season – Sunday was their third loss by 18-plus points in 2026. Take away 2008, when Tom Brady missed almost the entire season with a knee injury, and the Patriots had four total losses by 18-plus points in the other eight seasons immediately after Super Bowl appearances with Brady.

New England made a splash this summer in giving up a 2028 first-rounder to get receiver A.J. Brown from the Eagles, but his presence has been nearly nothing, even when healthy.

He only played in three of the Patriots’ first nine games due to ankle and knee injuries, and was back Sunday, but the first four passes he was targeted on were incomplete. His first catch – a 6-yard gain – came with three minutes left in the third quarter and New England trailing 28-3. Minutes later, he was announced as having a hamstring injury and being questionable to return (he was later ruled out).

Brown has 11 total receptions more than halfway through the season, and if that production continues, you wonder if he’ll still be on the Patriots roster when the Eagles get to use that first-round pick.