The New England Patriots and Detroit Lions enter Week 5 sitting at the bottom of their respective divisions, each with a 1-3 record. The Patriots and Lions have had similar unfortunate circumstances come their way at the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign. New England suffered a 27-24 defeat in overtime away to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in Week 4. Detroit also lost a 48-45 shootout at home to the Seahawks last weekend. Who should be considered the favorite going into the Week 5 matchup?
Key Injuries for New England and Detroit
New England’s starting quarterback Mac Jones was present for stretching at today’s practice, according to Chris Mason of Masslive.com. This is the second day in a row that Jones has been a limited participant, but relying on Jones to be ready to start against the Lions would be foolish. After suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 3 to the Ravens, New England will be cautious to not rush their second-year QB back from injury. The emergence of fourth-round rookie QB Bailey Zappe, who had a promising performance last week in Green Bay, could prove to be effective in cushioning the blow of losing Jones.
ESPN’s Eric Woodyard reports that Detroit’s starting running back D’Andre Swift is a doubt for this weekend’s game in New England. This would be a huge blow for Detroit as Swift has started off the season in great form, with 231 rushing yards on 27 attempts. That is a career-best 8.6 yards per carry, and Swift’s contribution as a receiver would be greatly missed as well. However, Swift missed last week’s home loss to the Seattle Seahawks where his squad still put up 45 points. Second-string running back Jamaal Williams will start in Swift’s place. Williams has started the season with a league-leading six rushing touchdowns. Regardless of who starts as the RB1, New England will have to worry about the rushing game from Detroit.
Who Gets the Edge?
New England (-166) opens as the favorite against Detroit (+138). The Patriots’ defense will have to pressure Lions QB Jared Goff and close the running lanes to have a shot at victory. Of course, that is easier said than done. Considering the game is in Foxborough and momentum comes after a noble effort last week away to Green Bay, New England is deservedly the favorite in this game. Looking ahead for the Patriots, they travel to the Browns next week and then host the Bears on Monday Night Football.
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