ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell is more concerned about preparing to face the New England Patriots than the logistics of traveling to Germany.
The Lions will practice at their facility on Wednesday and Thursday before departing for Munich, giving them about 48 hours to adjust before kickoff.
“We've got to go over there and play our best football,” Campbell said Monday. “New England’s a good team, and had some turnovers that hurt them. And that’s really what’s on my mind.
“The team with the most energy has got a good chance of winning this game.”
Campbell downplayed concerns about the travel, noting that the Patriots face the same challenges.
“We’ll be good,” he said. “They got to go through the same thing.”
The Lions shored up their pass defense Monday by acquiring safety Andre Cisco from the New York Jets. Cisco has started four games this season and was a 2021 third-round pick by Jacksonville, for which he made 59 starts.
“We’ve liked Cisco from afar,” Campbell said. “He’s athletic, he’s versatile, he knows our system. He knows the verbiage. So we feel like this is a guy that can help us here a little bit.”
The Lions' defense continues to lead the way during their four-game winning streak, holding opponents to 21 points or fewer in four straight games for the first time since 2016. In Sunday's 19-9 victory over Miami, Detroit kept the Dolphins out of the end zone and limited them to 182 total yards, including just 77 rushing. The Lions also recorded three sacks, and Chuck Clark had an interception in the third quarter that led to a field goal.
Pass protection has become a concern after Jared Goff faced heavy pressure for the second straight game. Goff was sacked four times against Minnesota, and Miami continued to exploit the Lions' problems up front, particularly on the right side. Rookie Miles Frazier also struggled at left guard after replacing Christian Mahogany, who was benched for disciplinary reasons. Protection improved in the second half, but the Lions need more consistency up front.
Jake Bates made all four field goal attempts against Miami and added an extra point to account for 13 of Detroit’s points. The third-year kicker has made 16 of 17 field goal attempts and all 23 extra point tries this season. He is the first player in franchise history to score at least seven points in each of the team’s first eight games.
Mahogany was limited to special teams against Miami for violating team rules, despite a strong season in which he has not allowed a sack in 197 pass-blocking snaps. The third-year guard had started all but one game before his benching.
“We’re good,” said Campbell when asked about Mahogany's status for Sunday. “I talked to him this morning. So the ball is in his court.”
The Lions came out of the Miami game without reporting any new injuries. Detroit was already without several starters, including center Cade Mays (ankle), cornerback D.J. Reed (hip), edge rusher DJ Wonnum (concussion) and linebacker Jack Campbell (neck), who was placed on injured reserve last week.
0 — Touchdown passes by Goff, snapping his streak of 30 consecutive regular-season games with at least one. It’s the longest streak since Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes had TD passes in 31 straight games from Oct. 6, 2019 to Oct. 17, 2021.
New England has lost two of three while struggling defensively. The Patriots allowed 45 points against Green Bay and 30 against Chicago during that stretch, giving Detroit an opportunity to exploit a defense that has had trouble keeping opponents out of the end zone.
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