Detroit carries something heavier. All-Pro linebacker Jack Campbell went on injured reserve after a scary neck injury in the win over Minnesota, and the whole team wore his No. 46 into Hard Rock Stadium. Dan Campbell said after the game that it was hard to talk about. Without him, the defense still held Miami to 9 points. The offense, though, managed just 271 yards against a season average of more than 395. The Lions have been winning ugly lately, and that's still winning.
The 2 teams have 2 common opponents, and neither comparison helps New England. The Lions beat Green Bay 20-17 at home, while the Packers handed the Patriots 4 turnovers and a 45-27 loss in Foxborough. Both teams won in Miami. Detroit's last 3 wins came by 3, 4 and 10 points, so this team doesn't blow people out. It just doesn't lose. New England's best wins came at home against the Raiders and Jets, and the 2 losses in this stretch, to Chicago and Green Bay, came against the best teams on that schedule.
Detroit's injury list is long too. Kerby Joseph (knee) and D.J. Reed sat out against Miami, Isiah Pacheco is on IR with Dan Campbell talking about late December, and Jacob Saylors (neck) was inactive. Brian Branch is back from his concussion, and Amon-Ra St. Brown is still the go-to target after catching 8 of 10 targets for 86 yards. Kickoff is 9:30 AM ET from FC Bayern Munich Stadium. The forecast is clear and 48 degrees with almost no wind, so the weather shouldn't give either offense an excuse.
So the question for Sunday is simple. Can Maye protect the ball behind a patched-up left side against a Lions defense that just shut down Miami without its best linebacker? And can Goff's offense find more than field goals after a week when the 3s carried them? If both turn out the way last Sunday did, Detroit is the team built to grind this out.
