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Patriots at Lions in Munich: Maye faces a depleted Detroit secondary

Detroit has won four straight and is the designated home team for a game in Germany. New England is trying to rebound from its loss to Green Bay. Two confirmed absences in the Lions' secondary give Drake Maye an opening, provided the Patriots can stop giving the ball away.

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The NFL game between the Patriots and the Lions will be played in Munich.
The NFL game between the Patriots and the Lions will be played in Munich. © Photo taken from detroitlions.com

The NFL returns to Munich with two winning teams and a more complicated matchup than the season averages alone suggest. Maye has driven New England's passing game. Detroit scores 27.8 points per game, yet its defense also kept Miami out of the end zone last Sunday. The Lions are at home on the schedule, though both teams will play away from their usual stadiums.

  • Competition: NFL 2026 regular season, Week 10.
  • Teams: New England Patriots at Detroit Lions; Detroit is the designated home team at a neutral venue.
  • Kickoff: Sunday, November 15, 3:30 p.m. CET in Munich / 9:30 a.m. EST in the eastern United States / 2:30 p.m. UTC.
  • Venue: FC Bayern Munich Stadium, Munich, Germany.

Detroit's winning streak comes with losses in the backfield

The Lions are 6-2 after four consecutive wins. Their 19-9 victory at Miami on November 8 came from a defense that allowed 182 total yards, recorded three sacks and did not concede a touchdown, according to the team's account. It was the fourth game in a row in which Detroit held an opponent to 21 points or fewer. Across the season, however, the Lions have allowed 260.9 passing yards per game, the NFL's highest figure entering Week 10 in New England's statistical preview.

Those figures describe different periods, and Sunday's personnel will change the equation again. Safety Kerby Joseph and cornerback DJ Reed have been ruled out; Detroit says neither traveled to Munich. Their absence could put more strain on replacement coverages against Maye, as well as on the front's ability to reach him. The Lions have 27 sacks in eight games, compared with 25 for New England in nine.

Detroit still has ways to set the pace with the ball. Jahmyr Gibbs has rushed for 847 yards and nine touchdowns. Jared Goff has thrown for 2,134 yards and 15 touchdowns against just two interceptions. Amon-Ra St. Brown leads the receiving group with 657 yards, though a rib issue limited his practice participation on Thursday. The offense is capable of creating pressure on New England even if Detroit's secondary is short-handed.

Maye's opening depends on possession as well as passing

The Patriots are 5-4 after a 45-27 loss to Green Bay. Maye has thrown at least two touchdown passes in six straight games. From Week 4 through Week 9 he produced 17 passing touchdowns and 1,697 yards, according to the NFL's weekly preview. For the season he has 2,282 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

That last number feeds the central tension of this game. New England gains 369.4 yards per game but has a minus-11 turnover differential; Detroit is plus-three. Maye may find room against a defense that has conceded passing yardage, but extra possessions for the Lions would erase much of that advantage. On the other side, Carlton Davis III's confirmed absence from the Patriots' secondary could give Goff a matchup to test. That is a possibility, not an announced coverage plan.

The running game offers another route to control. New England allows 96.7 rushing yards per game and Detroit 94.1. If the Patriots slow Gibbs on early downs, Goff could face more predictable passing situations. If Detroit runs efficiently, Maye may have fewer drives and greater pressure to make each one count. TreVeyon Henderson has been ruled out for New England, while Rhamondre Stevenson's availability remains unsettled after limited practice.

Availability: confirmed absences and open questions

The joint injury report from Thursday, November 12 separates players ruled out from those who merely had limited practice. Friday's participation and game designations can still change the latter group. A full practice is not a guarantee of playing on Sunday.

New England Patriots

  • Ben Brown: out — knee.
  • Carlton Davis III: out — knee.
  • TreVeyon Henderson: out — illness.
  • A.J. Brown: limited practice — ankle and knee.
  • Rhamondre Stevenson: limited practice — knee.
  • Hunter Henry: limited practice — foot.
  • Drake Maye: full practice — right shoulder.

Detroit Lions

  • Kerby Joseph: out — knee; did not travel to Munich.
  • Cade Mays: out — ankle; did not travel to Munich.
  • DJ Reed: out — hip; did not travel to Munich.
  • Amon-Ra St. Brown: limited practice — rib.
  • Sione Vaki: did not practice — ankle; no game designation was listed on Thursday.
  • Jared Goff and Brian Branch: full practice — chest and hip, respectively.

How to watch Patriots–Lions

  • Venue: FC Bayern Munich Stadium, Munich; Detroit is the designated home team.
  • Kickoff: Sunday, November 15, 3:30 p.m. CET in Munich / 9:30 a.m. EST in New York.

United States — Sunday, 9:30 a.m. EST / 6:30 a.m. PST

  • TV: FOX lists this game live.
  • Streaming: FOX One carries the game live. NFL+ offers live viewing on eligible mobile devices, subject to its terms.

Australia — Monday, November 16, 1:30 a.m. AEDT in Sydney / Sunday, November 15, 10:30 p.m. AWST in Perth

  • TV and streaming: an Australia-specific live listing for this game has not yet been announced.

United Kingdom — Sunday, November 15, 2:30 p.m. GMT

  • TV: Sky Sports NFL lists this game live, with its pregame coverage starting at 2 p.m. GMT.
  • Streaming: a separate stream for this game has not been confirmed in an operator listing.

Sunday will show whether Detroit's recent defensive improvement can hold without Joseph and Reed, and whether Maye can exploit the available space without adding to New England's turnover problem.