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Patriots Gridiron News: 3 defensive players who must step up vs. Lions

By Tarringo Basile-vaughan

FOXBOROUGH, MA - SEPTEMBER 09: Kyle Van Noy #53 of the New England Patriots celebrates after the Patriots recovered a fumble by Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans (not pictured) during the first quarter at Gillette Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - SEPTEMBER 09: Kyle Van Noy #53 of the New England Patriots celebrates after the Patriots recovered a fumble by Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans (not pictured) during the first quarter at Gillette Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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New England Patriots
(Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

The New England Patriots defense is on the hot seat Sunday night and there are three defensive players in particular who must step up to limit the Lions.

While the Detroit Lions aren’t exactly the Jacksonville Jaguars, they still have an explosive offense the New England Patriots must be ready to defend in order to avoid losing on back-to-back weeks through the first three weeks of the 2018 NFL season.

To start off, the Patriots secondary must be prepared to take on a quarterback in Matthew Stafford who has deep ball accuracy.  The Lions also have receivers who can make some noise against a defense that make Blake Bortles look like the second coming of Brett Farve.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick addressed the challenge Stafford presents.

"“As good as there is in football, he’s got great weapons.  He does an excellent job of seeing down the field in all situations,” Belichick said.  “No matter how much pressure he’s under he seems to find guys down there.  Sometimes it seems they’re covered, but he can put the ball where (Marvin) Jones in particular but also (Kenny) Golladay can go up and make plays on the ball.”"

Belichick continued to described Stafford as a very “dangerous” quarterback, which puts all the pressure on his defense.  This is a game where a player like Stephon Gilmore must step up as a No. 1 cornerback and take one side of the field away from the accuracy of the Lions quarterback.

In Week 2, we saw Jacksonville receivers go up and get the ball against both Gilmore and Eric Rowe.  Detroit’s receivers, particularly Jones and Golden Tate have that ability.

This is where a player like Gilmore has to be smart with his head as well as physical with his body and positioning.  Lock up their No. 1 option and make Matthew Stafford survey the field is a way the Patriots can make Stafford uneasy in the pocket.

Overall, expect the kind of game Stephon Gilmore played against DeAndre Hopkins in Week 1 when the New England Patriots defeated the Houston Texans.  He needs to be at his best to limit the Detroit Lions from gaining offensive momentum to start the game.

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