Getty Matt Patricia leaves the field after a Lions loss.
The Detroit Lions blew another big lead and fell apart with a loss, falling to 1-3 on the season. It seems as if Matt Patricia is firmly under the gun, but when could a move be made?
This week, Detroit heads into the bye week with a woeful record. The pressure from the fanbase to make a move will likely be immense, but that doesn’t mean the Lions are going to do so. In fact, probably far from it in the short term at this point in time.
Speaking to WXYZ’s Brad Galli after the 35-29 loss, Detroit Free Press reporter Dave Birkett was asked directly about Patricia’s future. As he said, while there might not be a short term danger to Patricia, there is certainly a long term danger.
Breaking down the 1-3 Lions with @davebirkett, and what another blown lead means for Matt Patricia’s future:
Birkett said:
“I do think he should have concern for the long term future. I don’t think the Lions will make a move right now. I don’t know there’s much point to making a move after 4 games. 1-3, the Lions still have a shot, especially when you look at what’s ahead. I think the 7 teams before Thanksgiving, one of them has a winning record. We’re 36 games into Matt Patricia’s tenure as head coach. He inherited a 9 win team. When you look at what this team has done under Matt Patricia, there’s very little reason to believe that Matt Patricia is going to get a 4th season as head coach.”
Waiting until the end of the season might be painful for Lions fans, but it seems like the most likely scenario at this point for the team. Patricia had better hope he can use his upcoming schedule to make a run, or it could be curtains for the coach in Detroit.
Right now, that could be the direction things could be heading in the future.
Matt Patricia High Within Hot Seat Odds
Patricia has evolved from an exciting new hire destined for greatness to a guy that simply needs more time to public enemy No. 1 in terms of Detroit football and beyond in the last few years. Now, that frustration is culminating in him being named one of the most obvious bets to get the axe first this season in the NFL.
A look at some new odds fresh off Week 2 shows that while Patricia isn’t the current odds on favorite to be fired first, he’s not far off the current pace. Adam Gase and Dan Quinn have slightly better odds thus far to lose their job first, but Patricia checks in at a +600 in close third position.
A number of complicating factors exist which could actually push Patricia higher on the list soon. First off, the Lions have a new member of the Ford family that has recently taken over ownership in Shiela Ford Hamp. Nobody knows what she might be thinking as it relates to a change or her feelings on the season. Additionally, the Lions have already suffered through a few miserable seasons with Patricia at the helm and 2020 was supposed to be different with a ‘playoffs or bust’ mandate. So far, the same types of errors keep being made by the team in losses, which is always a bad look for a staff.
With a loss in Week 3, Patricia’s team certainly wouldn’t be eliminated from postseason contention, but it would be very tough duty for them to climb back into the picture, perhaps making it easier to make an eventual move with the coach when all is said and done.
9-24-1 is an ugly mark for a coach no matter what metrics are used, and if that number gets worse, Patricia could only find himself in more trouble than he is already. If the Lions keep up the losing, he could sit atop this list easily in the coming weeks.
The best move for Patricia to avoid all this heat? No matter the current odds, just win, baby.
Terry Bradshaw Roasts Matt Patricia
That’s something which former NFL quarterback turned Fox Sports analyst Terry Bradshaw would agree with. Speaking on Sunday, Bradshaw admitted that he doesn’t understand how Patricia has made the Lions any better than the team he took over from Jim Caldwell. Additionally, Bradshaw said the Lions are wasting Matthew Stafford’s prime as a result of this.
Terry Bradshaw brought up Jim Caldwell on FOX’s pregame show. He criticized Matt Patricia.
“If you ask me, it’s pretty simple. When a coach comes in, he makes a difference. This guy has not made a difference. This quarterback is being wasted.”
Patricia is 9-24-1 as coach of the Lions and has had the team close to competing and winning games, but close doesn’t get the job done whatsoever in the NFL. Stafford has taken some steps forward within Darrell Bevell’s offense, but Patricia’s bread and butter was defense. So far, Detroit’s defense has only gotten worse during his entire tenure as head coach.
Will the Lions elect to make a move if Patricia continues to struggle? It’s more than possible, and if they do, it would represent the team starting over yet again, just like they did when they hired Patricia.
That’s what happens when a plan doesn’t come together, something Bradshaw would admit is happening. It might leave Patricia without a job eventually.
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