Patriots Defense Smothers NFL's No. 1 Offense in Convincing Shutout Victory Over Lions
On "Throwback Sunday" in Foxboro, the New England Patriots indeed turned back the clock.
If you didn't know better, on the field Sunday at Gillette Stadium was the team's vintage defense that helped win six Super Bowls.
But instead of yesteryear stars such as Tedy Bruschi, Ty Law and Vince Wilfork, these Patriots shockingly shut down the NFL's No. 1 offense and beat the Detroit Lions, 29-0, behind rising talents Matthew Judon, Kyle Dugger and Jack Jones.
The Lions entered averaging 35 points per game. The Patriots recorded their first home shutout since 2016.
In improving to 2-3 and avoiding their first 1-4 start since 2000, Bill Belichick's defense harassed quarterback Jared Goff even more than in Super Bowl III in 2019. In that game against the Los Angeles Rams four seasons ago, the Patriots recorded four sacks and an interception of Goff.
Sunday, New England suffocated Detroit's high-scoring unit with a remarkable six fourth-down stops, a Red-Zone interception by rookie ballhawk Jack Jones and a 59-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Dugger off a strip-'n-sack of Goff by Judon.
Detroit's 0-of-6 performance on fourth down is the worst in NFL history.
Nick Folk made five field goals, Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 161 yards in place of injured Damien Harris, and rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe won his first NFL start, completing 17 of 21 for 188 yards and a third-quarter touchdown to Jakobi Meyers that sealed the deal.
The Patriots put the game away in the third quarter, with a fourth-down stop by cornerback Jonathan Jones and then a 24-yard scoring strike from Zappe to Meyers - who made his return to the lineup with seven catches for 111 yards - that pushed the margin to a shocking 26-0.
New England's fourth-down plays were made by by Christian Barmore, Judon, Jonathan Jones, Myles Bryant, Raekown McMillan and, finally, with 3:02 remaining a combination deflected incompletion in the end zone by Jonathan and Jack Jones.
New England led at halftime, 16-0, thanks to Dugger's score and Jack Jones' early interception.
The cocksure rookie did it again Sunday, thwarting a Lions' first-quarter drive in the Red Zone with a spectacular catch. Jones came off his man in the end zone and intercepted a pass intended for tight end T.J. Hockenson, high-pointing the catch at the top of his jump and then performing a deft toe-tap to complete the play at the Pats' 3-yard line.
In last week's overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers, Jones stepped in front of an Aaron Rodgers pass and turned it into a 40-yard Pick Six. After the game he said he felt disrespected that Rodgers would test with him such a simple route. That prompted criticism of Jones from Patriots Hall of Famer Ty Law, who told the talented-but-unproven rookie to "shut up."
With his second pick in as many weeks, Jones may be silencing his critic.
New England stopped a Detroit 4th-down run on the game's opening possession and then used a 49-yard run by Stevenson to set up two short field goals by Folk for its 6-0 lead.
Judon, who became the first Patriot with a sack in the first five games of a season, sacked Goff on a second-quarter 4th-down attempt and knocked the ball free in the process. Dugger scooped it on a bounce and ran untouched for the score. It was New England's second defensive score in as many weeks.
The game featured a scary moment in the first quarter as Lions' safety Savion Smith crumpled to the ground after a seemingly casual bump with Patriots' tight end Hunter Henry. He was placed on a board and taken from the field via ambulance with a neck injury. Reports, however, said Smith have movement in his extremities at the hospital.
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