The Detroit Lions are taking on the look of a team going nowhere after suffering their third straight loss Sunday, but first-year coach Matt Patricia will have none of it.
“We’re all in this thing,” Patricia told reporters. “It’s the middle of the season and we’re trying to work hard and get better. There’s really no — it’s not a secret, it’s not anything that’s like special.
“We just got to work and we got to go to work and we got to work hard and try to get better. That’s all the way across the board. It starts with me and goes from there.”
The first order of business might be to find a way to better protect quarterback Matthew Stafford. He was sacked six times Sunday after the Vikings dropped him 10 times in a 24-0 loss at Minnesota on Nov. 4.
There is still time for Detroit (3-6) to turn it around and Patricia seems confident his club can do so.
“I think obviously we didn’t start off the game very well early on and didn’t perform, didn’t execute early in the game like we wanted to,” Patricia said. “But I’ll say this about our team, it is a competitive team and they will fight to the end, which they have for the last three weeks. And we’re out there trying to do everything we can to win the game, all the way until that clock hits zero. They’re tough in that manner, they will go out and they will compete.”
–QB Matthew Stafford was 25 of 42 for 274 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions Sunday. He has thrown two or more TD passes in 7 of 9 games this season.
–WR Kenny Golladay recorded six catches for 78 yards and a touchdown Sunday. The second-year player has 39 catches for 601 yards and four TDs this season, already exceeding his 11-game rookie season totals.
–RB Kerryon Johnson rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown and added 38 receiving yards and a score Sunday. The rookie entered the game with one touchdown. His six receptions matched his season high.
–K Matt Prater kicked a 52-yard field goal Sunday. He is 8 for 8 on field goals and 5 for 5 on extra points over his last four games, and 17 for 20 this season while not missing an extra point in 19 tries.
–LB Jarrad Davis recorded six tackles Sunday and leads the club with 57.
