The New England Patriots stumped the best statistical offense in the league, 29-0, in Bailey Zappe’s first NFL start against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
A defensive masterclass was displayed, as they forced the Lions to go a historically bad 0-for-6 on fourth-down conversions during the game.
It was one of those promising performances from the Patriots on both sides of the ball that built on the momentum they created in their near Week 4 road win against the Green Bay Packers.
Let’s take a look at the stars of this week’s routing of Detroit.
First Star: Rhamondre Stevenson
Damien Harris went down early with an injury and with only two running backs active for the game, Stevenson was the lone man standing.
He never shied away from the opportunity to take the reins as the lead back for the Patriots on a day when he compiled 161 rushing yards on 25 carries, along with two receptions for 14 receiving yards.
There’s no doubt he was a clear difference-maker that helped take some of the pressure off Zappe.
Second Star: Matthew Judon
Matthew Judon is on a tear and is looking like an All-Pro edge rusher. He tallied two sacks, a tackle for a loss and three tackles in the 29-0 victory. That now puts him at six total sacks on the season, and he doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
Jared Goff will probably have nightmares of No. 9 in his sleep. The man with the red sleeves was a real problem for the Lions, and he’ll continue to be a problem for any opposing offenses that line up against him.
Third Star: Nick Folk
I was torn to give this one to Jakobi Meyers, who had seven catches for 111 yards and a touchdown, or the offensive line as a whole for their performance. But then I remembered Nick Folk exists.
The Patriots kicker was a perfect 5-of-5 on field goals and 2-of-2 on extra points with his longest kick going for 44 yards. Folk accounted for 17 of the Patriots’ 29 points, while Kyle Dugger and Jakobi Meyers had the remaining points.
Folk was reliable within 50 as always, adding to his NFL record of consecutive kicks inside of 50 yards.
