CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 22: Head coach Matt Patricia of the Detroit Lions reacts after their 20-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on November 22, 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Matt Patricia may have his Thanksgiving spoiled if his Lions can’t pull off a commanding victory.
The Detroit Lions and Houston Texans are engaged in quite the ugly Thanksgiving Day battle. It is a back-and-forth affair of fumbles and penalties and Matt Patricia’s job security hangs in the balance with every play.
His Lions are on a short week after a disastrous 20-0 loss against the Carolina Panthers this past Sunday. That already had fans calling for his job. Will the organization really fire him on Thanksgiving if his Lions lose ugly on national television?
No confidence in Matt Patricia to keep his job
Patricia appears to be a clear lame duck head coach. The 20-0 defeat against the Panthers showed there is just no fight in this Lions team. Then came the Thanksgiving game that has already seen his defense get beat up early and Matthew Stafford throw a sad pick-6 into the hands of J.J. Watt.
Where is the energy? Where is the vaunted defense Patricia was supposed to deliver? These are questions Lions fans have had since he showed up.
Patricia went 6-10 in 2018 and got worse last year with a 3-12-1 record. He is now off to a 4-6 start as Stafford’s talent continues to be wasted in Detroit. A loss practically eliminates the Lions from playoff contention and at that point there is no logical reason to keep Patricia.
But today is still a holiday. So does that change anything? It all depends on whether the front office has made up its mind. The fact it is Thanksgiving won’t change anything because the team will want to get an interim coach in place as soon as possible if the decision has already been made.
There is still time to launch a comeback and even an ugly win wouldn’t inspire much confidence in the head coach. The main point here is that the Lions don’t appear to be a successful team under Patricia and a rough outing on national television drives that home to everyone watching. If the Lions lose and Patricia keeps his job that speaks more to the front office than him.