The Detroit Lions and the New England Patriots meet in Munich in Week 10 of the NFL. The Lions are the designated home team, but they will not have their usual home-field advantage. This is an important game for Detroit in the NFC North race: six wins from eight games guarantee nothing yet. The Patriots have five wins and four defeats. However, the teams come into this meeting in contrasting form.
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions have won four games in a row. Their last three victories — against the Green Bay Packers (20:17), the Minnesota Vikings (19:15) and the Miami Dolphins (19:9) — were hard-fought, but the Lions won by at least three points each time. Their defence, meanwhile, has improved markedly. They have not allowed more than 21 points in any of their last four games and held the Dolphins without a touchdown. In that game, Jared Goff threw for just 170 yards, yet the team still won by 10 points. Detroit are averaging 27.8 points per game this season. Their defence already has 27 sacks — the second-highest total in the league. That kind of pressure is particularly uncomfortable for a quarterback prone to mistakes.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots have just conceded 45 points to the Green Bay Packers in a 27:45 defeat. Drake Maye threw three interceptions, and the Patriots committed four turnovers in total. The Packers' defence forced the quarterback to rush, and the mistakes came one after another. A week earlier, New England narrowly beat the Miami Dolphins (24:19). The visitors average 23.4 points per game — considerably fewer than the Lions. Maye is dangerous with the deep ball, and one successful drive can quickly change the score. But if Detroit start getting to him regularly, the visitors will struggle to retain possession and respond with points.
Detroit Lions vs New England Patriots Prediction
The -2.5 handicap requires the Detroit Lions to win by at least three points. That is no easy task: their offence has failed to reach even 21 points in three consecutive games, while playing in Munich removes their home-field advantage. However, the designated hosts' defence is contributing more now than at the start of the season, and the team are taking good care of the ball. The New England Patriots make too many mistakes to cope comfortably with that kind of pressure on their quarterback. This is not about winning by a huge margin, but about protecting a narrow lead until the end. Our pick is the Detroit Lions to win with a -2.5 handicap.
