The New England Patriots travel to Detroit this week to take on a familiar foe. Longtime Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is currently the head coach of the 0-2 Detroit Lions, and Patricia would love to get his first career win against his former organization. The best part about football is that anything can happen on any given Sunday, so without further ado, here are the New England Patriots vs Detroit Lions bold predictions.
Week Three: New England Patriots vs Detroit Lions Bold Predictions
Josh Gordon Records 50 Yards, One Touchdown
The Patriots traded a fifth-round pick for the services of the immensely talented Josh Gordon. While consistency and reliability will always be an issue with Gordon, nobody can deny his talent when he’s on the field. Gordon is expected to play Sunday, and while he won’t know the whole playbook, he’ll certainly see the field on a small portion of plays.
Detroit has struggled on defense throughout the first two games of the season and they don’t have anyone who can match up one-on-one versus Gordon. Additionally, the Patriots don’t really have any reliable outside receivers stopping Gordon from seeing the field. While he probably won’t start, he should be the main target every time he sees the field. Right now, it’s hard to see a way for Detroit to slow him down.
Derek Rivers Records First Career Sack in First NFL Game
Second-year defensive lineman Derek Rivers has yet to play in an NFL game, but that will probably change this Sunday. Defensive lineman Trey Flowers suffered a concussion against the Jacksonville Jaguars and has yet to practice. Additionally, depth players like Keionta Davis struggled in Jacksonville, so Rivers should make his NFL debut against the Lions.
Look for the former 83rd overall pick to flourish. Rivers will record the first sack of his career against Detroit. While he’ll probably only see the field situationally, he’ll make what playing time he sees count.
Cyrus Jones Returns a Punt 30 Yards
What an interesting road it’s been for third-year cornerback Cyrus Jones. After a rookie year plagued by inconsistency, Jones missed all of 2017 with a season-ending ACL tear. While he returned to the field for the 2018 preseason, he didn’t make the final cuts, and it looked as though his New England tenure was over forever.
However, the Patriots desperately need a punt returner, so New England signed Jones back from the Baltimore Ravens practice squad. With his head finally cleared from his miserable rookie campaign, Jones will show the world why he was so coveted out of college. Jones should be the teams top punt returner, and he’ll put on a show in his season debut. Predicting a touchdown return is a little too bold, so let’s limit the prediction to just a return of 30 or more yards. And yes, he won’t fumble the ball upon getting hit.
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