Belichick set to face another former assistant
The New England Patriots matchup with the Detroit Lions is another Bill Belichick vs. assistant bowl. Belichick faced his former offensive coordinator, Bill O’ Brien, in Week 1 against the Houston Texans and now he faces former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia in Week 3. Both teams will be desperate for a win. The Pats want to respond after a poor showing in Jacksonville in which the defense gave up 481 yards. The Lions are looking for their first win after losses to the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers. Down 30-13, the Lions showed resilience against the 49ers – scoring two touchdowns late in the game to make the final score 30-27. After a poor showing in their first home against the Jets that caused the home fans to boo, the Lions will be motivated to show that Patricia was a worthy hire and that the fans should pay attention to this team.
Belichick is impressed with the downfield passing ability of Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. He must be concerned about how his defense can stop a Lions passing game that features wide receivers Golden Tate, Marvin Jones Jr. and Kenny Golladay. Belichick said the Lions downfield passing game is as good as there is in football.
“He’s (Stafford) got great weapons. He does an excellent job of seeing down the field in all situations. No matter how much pressure he’s under, he seems to find guys down there. Sometimes it appears that they’re covered, but he can put the ball where (Marvin) Jones in particular, but also (Kenny) Golladay, can go up and make plays on the ball. He’s very accurate and he’s got a strong arm. He can stand in there and make those throws, with or without a rush, in or out of the pocket, stationary or on the run. He’s extremely dangerous – one of the very best in the league for sure,” Belichick said.
The Lions have eight sacks through the first two games and can pressure the quarterback.
“They have very good coverage players, they have good pass rushers and they have multiple variations in their scheme that make it hard for quarterbacks to find open receivers. They do a good job disguising and mixing up their coverages and the looks and the leverage that they play on different patterns and receivers. So, all those lead to problems in the passing game,” Belichick said.
SERIES HISTORY: 12th regular-season meeting. Patriots lead series, 7-4. The Pats have won the last four meetings. The last time the Lions beat the Patriots was in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day 2000. The Lions won 34-9. A rookie backup quarterback named Tom Brady came in late in mop-up duty and completed one pass for 6 yards. It was his only completion of his rookie season. The teams played in Thanksgiving in Detroit again in 2002 and 2010 with the Pats winning both times. Under the current scheduling format, the teams meet every four years.
