Recap: Lions run to 26-10 win over Patriots

By Nolan Bianchi
The Detroit News
Lions running back Kerryon Johnson (33) runs for a first down in the first half.

Game leaders

Passing

DET - Matthew Stafford: 27/36, 262 yds., 2 TDs, INT

NE - Tom Brady: 14/26, 133 yds., TD, INT

Rushing

DET - Kerryon Johnson: 16 atts., 101 yds.

NE - Sony Michel: 14 atts., 50 yds.

Receiving 

DET - Marvin Jones: 4 recs., 69 yds., TD

NE - Rob Gronkowski: 4 recs., 51 yds.

Patriots wave white flag in garbage time

Cordarrelle Patterson returns Sam Martin's kick from the end zone to the 23-yard-line. An illegal block moves New England's starting position to the 8-yard-line.

James White is handed the ball on first down, and he gains 15 yards on the run. He takes it the next two plays for a total of 17 more yards. 

Chris Hogan catches a 16-yard pass over the middle, White gets 4 more yards on the next play, and the Patriots will wave the white flag on tonight's game.

26-10 Lions (FINAL)

Lions run out more clock and grab field goal in the process

LeGarrette Blount takes it up the middle on first down for a gain of 1. The former Patriot gets it again on second down and takes it for 2 more yards. Graham Glasgow is called for holding. The penalty is declined.

Blount gets the handoff on third down and fumbles, but it's recovered by Nick Bellore.

Two-minute warning

Prater boots his fourth field goal through the uprights and Detroit extends its lead to 16.

26-10 Lions (1:56 4th)

Lions come up with fourth-down stop

Tom Brady kicks it to Rob Gronkowski for a gain of 8 on first down. Brady is sacked by Eli Harold on second down for a loss of 10.

Brady's throw to Phillip Dorsett on third down falls incomplete, thanks in part to a tip from Jarrad Davis. With 3:23 remaining and no timeouts, the New England Patriots will go for it. 

Darius Slay plays his coverage perfectly, and the Lions will take over in the New England red zone.

23-10 Lions (3:16 4th)

Johnson reaches 100-yard mark, Lions punt

Kerryon Johnson gets the ball on first down and picks up 4 yards. He's 10 yards away from reaching the 100-yard mark. Matthew Stafford misses to Golden Tate on third down, but on third down, Stafford finds Theo Riddick and gets 20 yards upfield for a new set of downs at the 43-yard-line.

LeGarrette Blount takes the handoff on the ensuing first down and gains 1 yard to the right. Johnson is the back on second down, and he gets a yard on second down. Stafford has good protection on third down and he's able to get it to Kenny Golladay for a gain for a first down. Taylor Decker is flagged for holding, however, and it'll now be third-and-18.

Johnson picks up 10 yards on a third-down run, and that'll put the rookie back at 101 yards on the night. Cheers erupt in Ford Field as fans are notified that the streak is over.

Sam Martin's punt goes out-of-bounds at the 15.

23-10 Lions (4:43 4th)

Slay lives up to 'Big Play' nickname with interception

Sony Michel gets the ball on first down and gets to the right side for a 9-yard gain.

Injury update: Rex Burkhead has headed to the New England locker room and is being examined for a neck injury.

Michel gets the ball again on second down and picks up 6 yards to move the chains.

Michel runs for 2 more yards on first down. On the next play, Tom Brady goes deep, and his pass is picked off by Darius Slay, who then returns it to midfield.

Nevin Lawson is called for a blindside block, so the Lions will take over around the 19.

23-10 Lions (7:39 4th)

Lions go three-and-out, run two minutes off clock

The Lions will go back to the run game to start the drive. LeGarrette Blount gets the handoff for a gain of 4. Kerryon Johnson gets it on second down with nowhere to go and is dropped for a loss of 1. Stafford throws it incomplete on third down and Detroit will give the ball right back.

Sam Martin's punt is fair caught at the 26-yard-line.

23-10 Lions (9:26 3rd)

Brady sacked on third down to give Lions ball back

Cordarrelle Patterson returns Sam Martin's kick out of the end zone to the 21-yard-line, where Tom Brady and the New England offense will look to cut into a 13-point deficit.

Brady drops back and throws deep into no-mans-land. The officials talk it over, and deem the throw intentional grounding. It'll be second-and-20. Ford Field is getting loud. Patterson catches a 12-yard pass on second down to make it third-and-8. Brady has absolutely nowhere to throw and gets sacked for a loss of 3 after spending an eternity sitting in the pocket.

Jamal Agnew fields the punt around the 29 and returns it 10 yards to the 39. An illegal block will bring it back to the 24.

23-10 Lions (11:02 4th)

Lions drive stalls in red zone, yields field goal

Kerryon Johnson shows off his agility with several nice moves that lead to a 15-yard gain on first down.

Johnson gets the handoff again on the next play and rushes for 3 yards. Matthew Stafford sends Golden Tate in motion and catches him in the flat for a 25-yard gain to reach the New England 32-yard-line. That'll take us to the fourth quarter.

20-10 Lions (End 3rd)

LeGarrette Blount carries the rock on first down and he hits a massive hole on his way to a 13-yard gain. Nick Bellore is blown up on a screen pass and loses 5 yards. Stafford is forced to throw it into the ground on second down to make it third-and-15. 

Stafford scrambles on third down and makes a valiant effort to reach the first down marker but he's only able to gain 10 yards and Prater will be out to attempt a 32-yard field goal.

Prater's kick is good as gold.

23-10 Lions (12:48 4th)

Dropped passes hurting Patriots badly

Cordarrelle Patterson returns the kickoff to the Detroit 31.

Tom Brady takes it out of the shotgun on first down and gets it to Chris Hogan for a 9-yard gain. Sony Michel gets 7 yards on the ground on second down to give the Patriots a first down.

Brady misses Michel on first down. Brady throws it to the rookie back again on second down, and this time, it bounces off his hands. Third-and-10 coming up. Gronkowski is the target on a deep throw and he's unable to overcome great coverage from DeShawn Shead to bring it down.

Jamal Agnew returns the ensuing punt to the Detroit 25-yard-line.

20-10 Lions (1:58 3rd)

Stafford and Jones connection rekindles for touchdown

Stephen Gostowski's kick is taken in the end zone for a touchback.

The Lions try a little play-action on first down, but all it does is give the Deatrich Wise time to reach the quarterback. He sacks Matthew Stafford for a loss of 7. Theo Riddick catches a screen pass for a gain of 8 on second down to make it third-and-9. Stafford puts his third-down throw just over the fingertips of Jonathan Jones and hits Kenny Golladay for a gain of 16 that'll move the chains at the 42.

Golden Tate catches a bubble screen on first down and gains 6 yards. Kerryon Johnson gains 3 yards on second down and it'll be third-and-1 at the 49. Lions go empty backfield and Stafford throws it complete to Johnson for a gain of 4 and a new set of downs.

Detroit goes back to the bubble screen to Tate again and he makes his way to the 40-yard-line for a gain of 5. Johnson gets the handoff on second down and gains 4 yards to set up another third-and-1. Blount gets the handoff and he fights for 3 yards before getting taken down by former Lion Kyle Van Noy.

Stafford goes play-action on the next play and throws deep to Marvin Jones for a 33-yard touchdown pass.

20-10 Lions (3:53 3rd)

Patriots pull within 3

Sony Michel gets the ball on first down from the 48 and runs for a gain of 12. 

He gets the ball again on the next play, and a holding penalty on Nevin Lawson adds 15 yards to his 2-yard run to make it first-and-10 at the 23.

The Patriots are called for holding on the next play and it'll be first-and-20 at the 33. Rob Gronkowski catches the pass from Tom Brady for a gain of 19 and it'll be third-and-1 at the 14.

Brady sneaks it up the middle for a gain of 2 and a first down.

Timeout New England (10:55 3rd)

Brady overthrows Rex Burkhead in the end zone on first down. Michel gets 2 yards on first down and it'll be third-and-8. James White catches the third-down pass in the end zone as he goes to the ground and New England is right back in this game.

13-10 Lions (10:03 3rd)

Stafford picked off on first drive of second half

The Lions take the second half kick for a touchback and will start at the 25.

Kerryon Johnson gets the handoff on first down and powers forward for a gain of 7. LeGarrette Blount is stopped for a loss of 1 on second down, and the Patriots defensive line is fired up.

Stafford tries to Luke Willson over the middle, but his throw falls just short and is picked off by Ja'Whaun Bentley.

13-3 Lions (13:42 3rd)

First half leaders

Passing

DET - Matthew Stafford: 18/23, 150 yds., TD

NE - Tom Brady: 7/11: 55 yds.

Rushing

DET - Kerryon Johnson: 7 atts., 54 yds. 

NE - Sony Michel: 7 atts., 10 yds.

Receiving 

DET - Kenny Golladay: 5 recs., 37 yds., TD

NE - Rex Burkhead: 2 recs., 26 yds.

Detroit runs out of time to extend lead in second quarter

Stephen Gostowski's kick is taken for a touchback. The Lions will get it at the 25 with 0:40 remaining in the second and two timeouts.

Matthew Stafford takes it out of the gun on first down and dishes it to Golden Tate. Tate flexes his elusiveness and evades two defenders to cross the first down marker and make it first-and-10 from the 36.

Timeout Detroit (0:32 2nd)

Stafford gets it to Kenny Golladay for a gain of 9 on first down.

Timeout Detroit (0:25 2nd)

Stafford kicks it to TJ Jones and he reaches the 49-yard-line for a 4-yard gain and a first down.

Stafford spikes it on first down.

Timeout New England (0:11 2nd)

Stafford throws it complete to Golladay for a first down on the next play, but he's unable to get out-of-bounds, and that'll run the clock to triple zeroes.

13-3 Lions (End 2nd)

Lions defense makes huge red zone stop

Sam Martin's kick is taken for a touchback.

Rob Gronkowski is the intended receiver on first down and he's taken down by Quandre Diggs just short of the first down marker for a gain of 9. Tom Brady fires to James White on second down for no gain. Another quick third down coming up. Sony Michel gets the handoff and gains 2 yards for a first down.

Tom Brady has all day to throw on first down, but he can't get a receiver open and is forced to toss it out-of-bounds. Brady gets it to Gronkowski on second down and reaches the Detroit 49-yard-line for a gain of 15.

White gets it up the middle for a gain of 5 on first down. 

Two-minute warning 

NBC shows highlights from a Catholic Central and Brother Rice football game when the game returns from commercial. Neat.

Brady tosses it to Rex Burkhead for a gain of 19 on second down to reach the Detroit 25.

Hogan gets the reception on the next play and Michel goes up the middle on the handoff for a gain of 3 on second down. It's third-and-1. Michel is swallowed by a plethora of Lions defenders on third down for a loss of 2. Huge stop for Detroit. 

Timeout Detroit (0:44 2nd)

Stephen Gostowski is out to try a 36-yard field goal.

His kick is good, and the Patriots are on the board.

13-3 Lions (0:40 2nd)

Lions put another 3-spot on the board

The Lions go back to the running game on first down, handing it to LeGarrette Blount out of the pistol for a gain of 5. Matthew Stafford is pressured on second down and sidearms it to Luke Willson, who's blown up for a loss of 2. It's third-and-7. Stafford fires to Marvin Jones at the 40-yard-line and he gets 1 more yard after the catch to pick up a new set of downs.

The Lions go with the flea flicker on first down, and Stafford's pass falls incomplete. New England rookie J.C. Jackson is called for holding on the play, though, and it'll be first-and-10 at the Lions 46.

The Patriots are flagged for having 12 men on the field before the next snap can take place. Make it first-and-5 at the New England 49.

Johnson gets the ball on first down and he gets to the edge for a gain of 14 yards. He has 45 rushing yards so far. 

Jim Bob Cooter calls Johnson's number again on the next play and he picks up 3 yards. Blount takes it up the middle on second down and he plows ahead for a 4-yard gain to make it third-and-3. Johnson gets the pitch on third down; he cuts hard, gets upfield, and gains a total of 6 yards for a first down.

Stafford looks for Marvin Jones in the end zone on first-and-10 from the 22 and his pass falls incomplete. Stafford's protection breaks down on second down and he slips it to Theo Riddick, who's able to get upfield for a gain of 8. Stafford is fired up. He swings it out to Johnson on third-and-2 and the Detroit back once again gets to the edge and gains 5.

Blount carries it up the middle on first down for a gain of 2. Stafford tosses it complete to Golladay in the back of the end zone on second down, but Golladay is unable to get two feet down. It'll be third-and-goal from the 7.

Stafford misses Jones in the end zone on third down with the pocket collapsing around him. Prater will be out for another field goal attempt. 

His 25-yard kick is good.

13-0 Lions (4:58 2nd)

Lions have yet to give up a first down

Sam Martin's kick bounces in the end zone and Tom Brady and the Patriots offense will take over at the 25.

Sony Michel gets the handoff on first down and doesn't have much room to run on his way to a 2-yard gain. Brady dumps it off to Rex Burkhead out of the backfield and he gains 7 yards to make it third-and-1. Ricky Jean Francois makes slight work of his adversary on the line and throws Michel to the ground for a loss of 1. The Patriots have yet to gain a first down.

Jamal Agnew reaches Patriot territory on the return, but it's called back for an illegal block in the back. It'll be first down Detroit at the 22.

10-0 Lions (13:12 2nd)

Golladay touchdown gives Lions 10-point lead

Lions go play-action on first down; Matthew Stafford dishes it to LeGarrette Blount, who plows ahead for a gain of 7. Kerryon Johnson gets it on second down and he picks up 5. Frank Ragnow is called for holding, however, so it'll now be second-and-12. Stafford throws to Luke Willson on the replayed down and he gets just enough to move the chains at midfield.

Stafford quickly gets it out in the face of a blitz, finding Marvin Jones for a 5-yard completion on first down. Johnson gets the handoff on second down and hits the hole for a gain of 9.

That's the sixth first down for Detroit tonight.

Johnson gets the handoff again on the next play, and he dances all throughout the Patriots' defense on his way to a 12-yard gain.

Blount takes the handoff on first-and-10 from the 24 and is stuffed at the line for no gain. Stafford has quite some time to throw and eventually finds Marvin Jones a few yards beyond the line of scrimmage, and the Detroit receiver advances it for a total gain of 15 to end the first quarter. It'll be first-and-goal from the 9.

3-0 Lions (End 1st)

Johnson gets the ball on first down and brings his lunch pale with him as he fights for 5 tough yards. Stafford gets it to Golladay and he nearly reaches the goal line before fumbling out-of-bounds. It appears he broke the plain, however. Matt Patricia throws the red challenge flag 25 yards, which brings out an obligatory Clayton Kershaw reference from Al Michaels. 

After further review, the Lions have been awarded a touchdown.

10-0 Lions (14:12 2nd)

Patriots go three-and-out again

Sam Martin's line drive kick is bobbled by Sony Michel and returned to the 25-yard-line.

Michel catches a pass out of the backfield on first down for a loss of 1. Tom Brady targets Phillip Dorsett for an incomplete pass on second down and it's quickly third-and-11. Brady pumps and then throws high to Dorsett, who can't come down with it. The Lions will get the ball back again.

Ryan Allen's punt bounces out-of-bounds at the Detroit 40.

3-0 Lions (5:03 1st)

10-play drive results in 3 points for Lions

LeGarrette Blount gets the handoff on first down and takes it up the middle for a gain of 3. Matthew Stafford slings it to Kenny Golladay out of the shotgun and he gets just enough for a first down at the 25.

Blount gets the rock on first down and hits a hole in the middle for a gain of 6. Blount remains Detroit's premier back, this time catching a pass over the middle and advancing a few yards for a gain of 9 that'll give the Lions another first down.

The Lions continue to attack the middle of the field with Blount. He gets the handoff from the shotgun and gets to the 47-yard-line for a gain of 7. Kerryon Johnson enters the game for his first carry of the game on second down and he picks up 5 yards to reach New England territory and move the sticks.

Stafford throws an incomplete fade route to Golden Tate near the sideline contested by Jonathan Jones on first-and-10. Stafford goes back to Tate again on second down, this time a completion at the right hash for a gain of 18.

Blount escapes a would-be tackle in the backfield for a huge loss and gets back to the line of scrimmage for no gain. On second-and-10 at the 30, Golladay fights off Jason McCourty and comes down with a 5-yard reception. Stafford fires to Tate on a quick crossing route on third down. Tate is downed inches short of the chains.

Matt Prater will be out to try a 39-yard field goal.

His kick is good.

3-0 Lions (6:58 1st)

Lions force three-and-out on opening drive

Carrie Underwood has graced television screens across America: Game on.

Detroit wins the coin toss and will defer to the second half. Cordarrelle Patterson takes the opening kick to the 42-yard-line. 

Sony Michel gets it on first down for a gain of 5 yards and adds another yard on third down. Tom Brady fires to Chris Hogan over the middle on third down, and his pass falls incomplete. 

Ryan Allen's punt is downed at the 14-yard-line.

0-0 tie (13:32 1st)

Notable inactives

Lions: Defensive ends Ezekiel Ansah and Kerry Hyder, offensive linemen Andrew Donnal and Joe Dahl, tight end Michael Roberts and running back Ameer Abdullah.

Darius Slay has been announced as a starter.

Patriots: Defensive backs Patrick Chung and and Eric Rowe, defensive end Trey Flowers and wide receiver Josh Gordon.

New England has just three wide receivers active.

The Detroit Lions have a big challenge against the visiting New England Patriots as they try to get their first win of the season. Kickoff is 8:20 p.m. Sunday night, and you can follow the action here with live updates throughout the game by Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News.

LIONS VS. PATRIOTS

Kickoff: Sunday, 8:20 p.m., Ford Field, Detroit

TV/radio: NBC/WJR 760

Records: Lions 0-2, Patriots 1-1

Line: Patriots by 7

MORE COVERAGE

Five things to watch: Lions vs. Patriots

Daunting history of 0-3 looms large as Lions brace for Patriots

View from the other side: Lions vs. Patriots

Lions mailbag: Defense should be focus of rebuild