Previewing Patriots, Lions Week 10 Battle in Munich, Germany | Patriots Roundtable Podcast

Guten tag!

This Sunday, the New England Patriots (5-4) and Detroit Lions (6-2) square-off in Munich, Germany, as part of the NFL’s International Games 2026 in a matchup that is filled with layers of intrigue.

Drake Maye and New England’s offense will have the opportunity to bounce back against an underperforming Detroit defense, but the Christian Gonzalez and the Patriots’ struggling defense will have their hands full trying to contain Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and the Lions’ offense.

On today’s episode of the Patriots Roundtable Podcast, hosts Eddie Marotta and Tyler Geis preview New England’s Week 10 trip across the pond — examining matchups that could swing the game’s result, keys to victory on both sides of the football, and predicting the game’s outcome. 

Offensively, Maye and the Patriots’ passing attack will be at the forefront — both because of their recent ineptitudes and because their matchup against Detroit features what should-be a heavily one-sided affair. The Lions allow the most passing attempts, yards, and touchdowns to their opponents, while Maye has generated 73% of New England’s total offensive production on the season.

With the potential return of A.J. Brown and the surprise availability of Rhamondre Stevenson, the Patriots are slowly reassembling their full supporting cast — regaining health for the home stretch of the regular season. Detroit’s inefficient rushing defense should present equal opportunity for growth on the ground, even if Corey Kiner operates as the team’s top running back on Sunday morning.

Defensively, Gonzalez will look to shake-off a career-worst performance last weekend (12 targets, 11 receptions, 192 yards, two touchdowns allowed, per PFF) against a Lions’ offensive attack that has playmakers all over the field. St. Brown commands one of the NFL’s highest target shares at the wide receiver position, but brings a much different skillset to the table than his deep ball friendly running mate, Jameson Williams.

Goff will look to involve both early and often, but will likely be working off of a heavy dose of Gibbs out of the backfield. Through their eight games, Gibbs leads the league in touches (211), scrimmage yards (1,132) and touchdowns (11), and will clearly be the best running back that New England’s improving rushing defense has faced through this point of the season. 

Each team will challenge each other’s defenses through a variety of different avenues, but it will be the responsibility of the Patriots’ offense — who leads the NFL with 19 turnovers — to reduce the number of self-inflicted wounds that they’ve created for themselves on a weekly basis to keep pace.

New England and Detroit are both prepared for an overseas fireworks show, but who comes out on top will go a long way in determining each squad’s trajectories for the remainder of the year. With tightening divisional battles and the intensity of the playoff hunt ramping up, this is as close as a November non-conference game gets to being a “must-win”. 

Do you think the Patriots will be able to bounce back against the Lions in Germany on Sunday? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation on Patriots Roundtable.

–

Follow the Patriots Roundtable Podcast!

YouTube

Spotify

Apple Podcasts