Detroit Free Press

FOXBORO — Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and his staff have many ways to motivate their players. When it came to finding the right motivation for facing the Detroit Lions, Patriots coaches last week used a similar tactic  to one they used during the 2014 season. Eight years ago, Patriots defensive coaches hung quotes by

NFL teams like to break their seasons into quarters. It’s a trick the bad teams use to keep hope alive when most everyone has hit eject on their seasons, and one the good teams employ to not get too wide-eyed about what lies ahead. For the Detroit Lions, the way the calendar falls this year,

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett breaks down the Detroit Lions‘ 29-0 loss to the New England Patriots, and looks at players and coaches who helped and hurt their stock Sunday at Gillette Stadium: Stock up S DeShon Elliott The Lions demoted Elliott from the starting lineup Sunday, but he played nearly

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — It was a beautiful day in New England on Sunday. A crisp, cool breeze rustled through the leaves just starting to change colors in the bucolic countryside outside Gillette Stadium. But back in Detroit, the sky is supposedly falling for Detroit Lions fans, no matter what the forecast says. Because they lost

It’s almost the end of Week 5 in the 2022 NFL season and the most competitive division in football is … the NFC East? After years of uneven play, three teams – the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles – all have records of 4-1 or better. Philadelphia, in fact, is the lone

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Five games into this season, the Detroit Lions are irrelevant. A punchline to an old, familiar joke. Before the freakin’ Halloween decorations are even up. Again. “It’s just about as bad as it gets,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said Sunday after the New England Patriots punked the Lions, 29-0. “I believe we

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Amon-Ra St. Brown slipped a black brace over his right ankle, then white socks over both his feet as he got dressed in the Detroit Lions locker room after Sunday’s 29-0 loss to the New England Patriots. The second-year wide receiver caught four passes for 18 yards in his return from a

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — When DeShon Elliott saw an ambulance drive onto the field at Gillette Stadium, a shot of fear ran through his body. Detroit Lions safety Saivion Smith was knocked unconscious in the first quarter of Sunday’s 29-0 loss to the New England Patriots when he collided with Patriots tight end Hunter Henry. Smith

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — It’s all gone. Any sense of progress for the Detroit Lions has disappeared. All the smiles and laughs that came from “Hard Knocks” have turned into disgust and disappointment. And any belief that things will change seem based in nothing but foolish hope. Yes, we have seen this before. For more than

Detroit Lions defensive back Saivion Smith suffered a neck injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots and was taken to a local hospital by ambulance. Smith, making his first start with the Lions, was injured just under five minutes into the game, when he tried to jam Patriots tight

FOXBORO, Mass. — The Detroit Lions will have one of their best offensive weapons back for today’s game against the New England Patriots, and are making a major change on defense. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is active after testing his sprained left ankle with an extensive running program during pre-game warmups, and the Lions

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In the bowels of Gillette Stadium, the New England Patriots’ locker room is a mostly serious place when it’s open to media. Unlike many NFL locker rooms, there is no music, just the din of players, staff and reporters bustling about the confines of the long, narrow room. Lockers have handsome, dark-wood

Mike Tupa Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise Detroit inks Parker from practice squad in time for Sunday’s game against the Patriots Bartlesville’s A.J. Parker could be in line to see some action Sunday for the Detroit Lions. The Lions announced Saturday they have signed the Bartlesville High School graduate back to the active roster from the practice squad.

Detroit Lions (1-3) at New England Patriots (1-3) The coaches: Lions — Dan Campbell (9-23-1 overall, 4-16-1 with Lions); Patriots — Bill Belichick (291-146 overall, 255-102 with Patriots). Last game: Lions lost to Seattle Seahawks, 48-45; Patriots lost to Green Bay Packers, 27-24 (OT). Last meeting: Sept. 23, 2018: Lions won, 26-10. Key matchups Lions DC Aaron

Bailey Zappe has attempted 15 passes in his NFL career, but the Detroit Lions have a meaty scouting report on the New England Patriots’ presumptive starting quarterback for Sunday’s game at Gillette Stadium, thanks to their time coaching Zappe in the Senior Bowl. “Highly intelligent,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said this week. “I mean, he

A day after their special teams coordinator professed his faith in Austin Seibert as the answer to their kicking woes, the Detroit Lions waived the fourth-year kicker and handed the job to Michael Badgley. Badgley signed with the Lions practice squad Tuesday after kicking last week for the Chicago Bears. He scored every Bears point

Ifeatu “Iffy” Melifonwu grew up in South Grafton dreaming of playing in the NFL. The former Grafton High and Syracuse University standout achieved that goal last year as a rookie for the Detroit Lions. And on Sunday afternoon, he’ll find himself playing against the helmeted heroes he grew up rooting for when the Lions take