New England Patriots

Matt Patricia and the Lions defeat the Patriots, 26-10

The Patriots take on the Lions in prime time for their Week 3 matchup.

New England Patriots v Detroit Lions
Running back Kerryon Johnson of the Detroit Lions runs for yardage against the New England Patriots during the first half. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

By Rachel G. Bowers, Rachel Bowers and Mark Dunphy

8 minutes to read

On a night when Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia were facing off for the first time, Patricia and his Detroit Lions got the better of Belichick and his Patriots as the Lions notched a 26-10 victory at Ford Field on Sunday.

It was the first win of Patricia’s career as an NFL head coach and the Lions’ first win of this season. It was the Patriots’ second straight loss, the first time they have lost back-to-back games since the 2015 season, and the club’s first 1-2 start since 2012. It was also the first time in his career that quarterback Tom Brady lost to the Lions.

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Patricia and Belichick had a quick postgame hug. Patricia joined Josh McDaniels as the only former Belichick coordinators to beat Belichick on their first try as head coaches.

The Patriots looked lifeless in all phases.

The offense managed just more than 200 yards of total offense, and Brady completed just 14 passes on 26 attempts for 133 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

Meanwhile, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 27 of 36 passes for 262 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, and rookie Kerryon Johnson became the club’s first 100-yard rusher in a game since 2013, gaining 101 yards on 16 carries.

Below are updates from the game as they happened:

Fourth quarter

FINAL: Lions 26, Patriots 10.

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Lions 26, Patriots 10 (1:56): Matt Prater split the uprights from 30 yards out after the two-minute warning. LeGarrette Blount rushed three times for a combined gain of one yard to set up the Lions’ score.

Lions 23, Patriots 10 (3:16): Tom Brady again targeted Phillip Dorsett, this time on a fourth down desperation heave from his own 13-yard line. The pass landed incomplete, Dorsett was injured on the play, and the Lions took over possession with excellent field position.

Lions 23, Patriots 10 (7:23): Tom Brady, seeking Phillip Dorsett, fired into double coverage and instead found Lions cornerback Darius Slay. There was a penalty for an illegal blindside block during Slay’s return, but the interception stood and Detroit took over at their own 19-yard line.

Lions 23, Patriots 10 (9:18): The Lions punted for the first time following a three-and-out of their own. Cyrus Jones was on return duty for New England.

Lions 23, Patriots 10 (11:02): Tom Brady avoided the first wave of Lions pass rushers but couldn’t stay out of linebacker Eli Harold’s grasp. Before the Patriots quarterback took the sack on third down for another three-and-out, he was forced back 10 yards by a first-down intentional grounding penalty.

Lions 23, Patriots 10 (12:48): Matt Prater cushioned the Lions lead, connecting on a 32-yard field goal after Detroit’s drive stalled in the red zone. Patriots linebacker Elandon Roberts wrapped up Lions fullback Nick Bellore for a 5-yard loss on first down, Matthew Stafford threw an incomplete pass on the next play, then Stafford scrambled for a 10-yard gain to set up Prater’s kick.

Third quarter

Lions 20, Patriots 10 (1:58): 

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The Patriots were forced to punt after a third-down Tom Brady pass intended for Rob Gronkowski fell to the turf incomplete. New England picked up one first down, through a Chris Hogan reception and a Sony Michel rush, before Brady unsuccessfully targeted Michel through the air twice to bring up third-and-10.

Lions 20, Patriots 10 (3:43): Matthew Stafford arced a deep ball beyond the Patriots secondary and into the waiting arms of wide receiver Marvin Jones for a 33-yard touchdown. Matt Prater tapped the extra point through the uprights to complete the 10-play, 75 yard drive.

Lions 13, Patriots 10 (10:03): Facing third-and-eight on the Lions 10-yard line, Tom Brady hit James White in stride in the corner of the end zone. The touchdown, the Patriots first of the night, capped a seven play drive highlighted by a Brady-to-Gronkowski connection for 19 yards.

Lions 13, Patriots 3 (13:34): Rookie linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley intercepted Matthew Stafford and the Patriots’ offense took over at their own 48-yard line.

Second quarter

The Lions took a 13-3 lead into the break. A few stats:

Total yards: NE 70, DET 231

Plays: NE 19, DET 38

Yards per play: NE 3.7, DET 6.1

First downs: NE 3, DET 17

Third down: NE 1-5, DET 3-5

Penalties: NE 2-10, DET 2-20

Tom Brady: 7-11, 55 yards, 76.0 rating

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Matthew Stafford: 18-23, 150 yards, TD, 108.3 rating

The Lions dominated the time-of-possession battle, keeping the ball for 21 minutes, 26 seconds. The Patriots’ offense was on field for just 8:34 in the first two quarters.

On the ground, Sony Michel rushed for 10 yards on seven carries, while Kerryon Johnson ran for 54 yards with the same amount of touches. Neither team turned the ball over.

Lions 13, Patriots 3 (0:40): Stephen Gostowski put the Patriots on the board shortly before halftime with a 36-yard field goal. Tom Brady led his offense 57 yards downfield, finding tight end Rob Gronkowski and running back Rex Burkhead for big gains during the 11-play drive. The Detroit defense stopped Sony Michel behind the line of scrimmage on third-and-one from their own 16-yard line to force the kicking unit into the fray.

Lions 13, Patriots 0 (4:58): Matt Prater’s 25-yard kick extended the Lions lead. Detroit’s 14-play, 71 yard drive came to a halt on third-and-goal from the Patriots 7-yard line when Matthew Stafford pass sailed through the back of the end zone incomplete. The New England defense gave Stafford five free yards earlier in the drive when they sent out too many players.

Defensive personnel update for the Patriots:

Lions 10, Patriots 0 (12:40): Another Patriots possession, another three-and-out. This time, Sony Michel rushed for two yards on the first play and wide receiver Rex Burkhead reeled in a Tom Brady pass for seven yards, before Lions defensive end Ricky Jean Francois — who played for the Patriots last season — stopped Michel in the backfield on third-and-one.

Lions 10, Patriots 0 (14:17): Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore looked to have saved a touchdown by pulling Kenny Golladay back as he reached for the goal line, but Matt Patricia launched his challenge flag. Upon review, the officials decided Golladay had crossed the line and the Lions punctuated their nine play, 60-yard drive with seven points.

First quarter

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Lions 3, Patriots 0 (5:03): Tom Brady’s second drive finished with the same result as the first: a Ryan Allen punt. Brady found Sony Michel for no gain on the first snap, then fired back-to-back incomplete passes intended for Phillip Dorsett. The Lions took over possession on their own 40-yard line.

Lions 3, Patriots 0 (6:21): After an 11-play drive by the Matthew Stafford-led Lions offense stalled just outside the New England red zone, Matt Prater kicked a 38-yard field goal. Former Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount, who won two Super Bowls in his four years in New England, had four carries for 16 yards as the Lions drove downfield.

Patriots 0, Lions 0 (13:44): The Patriots went three-and-out on the opening possession. Tom Brady handed off to running back Sony Michel for gains of six and one yards, then threw an incomplete pass over the middle intended for wide receiver Chris Hogan on his first drive of the night.

Pre-game

Turf issue:

Patriots coach Bill Belichick appeared to have an issue with the turf at Ford Field and had a short but mildly animated conversation with an official at the end of the pregame warmups.

The coach specifically pointed to midfield section where the Lions logo is located. Earlier several Patriots, including practice squad quarterback Danny Etling, were testing the area with their feet and perhaps they alerted Belichick.

Ford Field is where receiver Julian Edelman lost his footing during a preseason game in 2017 and tore his ACL, costing him the season.

— Jim McBride, Globe Staff

Gordon highlights inactives list: Wide receiver Josh Gordon is inactive for tonight’s game. The Patriots acquired him from the Cleveland Browns last Monday, but the former All-Pro will have to wait to make his debut for New England. He wast listed on Friday’s game injury report as questionable with a hamstring injury.

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Here is the full list of Patriots inactives: Gordon, tight end Jacob Hollister, safety Patrick Chung, defensive end Trey Flowers, cornerback Eric Rowe, offensive linemen Brian Schwenke and Cole Croston.

Cornerback Keion Crossen, defensive end Derek Rivers, and cornerback J.C. Jackson are all active.

For the Lions, offensive lineman Andrew Donnal, wide receiver Brandon Powell, offensive guard Joe Dahl, defensive end Ezekiel Ansah, defensive end Kerry Hyder, tight end Michael Roberts, and running back Ameer Abdullah are all inactive.

Gordon, traded to New England last Monday, was on the field early in Detroit for a workout.

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Gordon joined in at practice for the first time Wednesday. He was listed on the game injury report as questionable with a hamstring injury.

The inactives list comes out 90 minutes before kickoff.

Meanwhile, Ben Volin watched Gordon’s game film to see what he can bring to the Patriots.

Pre-game scene

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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is pictured as he gets off the team bus and heads into the stadium with his teammates.

Alex Guerrero (center) is pictured as he gets off the team bus and heads into the stadium with players, including Marcus Cannon (left).

Wide reciever Josh Gordon is pictured as he gets off the team bus and heads into the stadium with his teammates.

After the Tigers baseball game ended at Comerica Park next door to Ford Field, Detroit fans were leaving the area, and at the same time, Patriots fans (right) were arriving for tonight’s footbal game.

Other pregame storylines

Former colleagues now foes:

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Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia are on opposite sidelines, with Patricia trying to notch his first win as an NFL coach. Belichick has coached against one of his former coordinators in 15 games. He is 11-4 against Eric Mangini, Romeo Crennel, Josh McDaniels, and Bill O’Brien. In the first meeting between Belichick and his former pupils, when they would have the closest familiarity with the Patriots’ scheme and players, Belichick is 3-1. Nora Princiotti has more on the pros and cons of former assistants going against Belichick.

Familiar faces: Patricia has brought in a half-dozen ex-Patriots since taking over in Detroit. As expected, it’s a heavy dose of his former defensive players, including tackle Ricky Jean Francois and linebacker Marquis Flowers on the active roster, and end Eric Lee and cornerback Cre’von LeBlanc on the practice squad. On offense, the Lions have former Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount and quarterback Matt Cassel.

Defensive injuries: Patrick Chung, Trey Flowers, and Eric Rowe were all ruled out for Sunday’s game. Chung and Flowers suffered concussions a week ago against the Jaguars and Rowe is sidelined with a groin injury.