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The New England Patriots defense had a great performance against the Detroit Lions in Week 5. While plenty of players put in quality performances, one player led the way just as he has throughout the 2022 NFL season.
Detroit’s offense came into New England on a roll. They boasted the highest scoring offense entering Week 5. But against the Patriots, the Lions couldn’t do anything.
Matthew Judon was a major reason why that was the case. Judon was easily getting into the backfield and forced a Jared Goff fumble. While the pass-rusher had multiple sacks on the day, he became the first player in Patriots history to record one sack in the first five games of the season.
Judon leads the way in terms of sacks for New England with six so far this season. This is par for the course for Judon who lead the Patriots in sacks last season (12.5).
The veteran was asked about his accomplishment after the win but Judon stated that all he cares about is winning.
“I’m just out here to win games honestly,” he said. “To set records, that’s nice. To set records, that’s lovely…but I’m always on the team.”
With the weather not cooperating, New England practiced indoors this past Wednesday in what was described as more of a walkthrough than anything. Judon believes the mental session paid dividends against the Lions.
“I think it was helpful,” Judon said. “This is a tough sport as you can see, but it just allowed us an extra day to get our bodies right. But mentally, we were locked in. So we were able to rest our bodies and sharpen our minds.”
A Patriots Legend Loves Judon
While fans are definitely happy with the performance of Judon, he has also garnered the praise of a Patriots legend. Hall of Famer and New England linebacker Andre Tippett talked about his excitement watching Judon play prior to kickoff.
“He brings excitement. I love watching him play,” Tippett said leading up to the Patriots’ Week 5 game.
Postgame Reaction to Judon’s Performance
Judon earned plenty of praise after the win. Bill Belichick had plenty of kind words for the pass-rusher after the Week 5 win.
“Judon had another great day,” Belichick said. “He’s a very physical presence for us at the end of the line.”
The Patriots will be feeling good after their Week 5 win. With a rookie QB under center and the defense facing a top offense in the entire league, New England dominated the game from start to finish.
If Judon continues to play at this level, the Patriots will continue to rack up wins. They will look to do that in Week 6 when they face the Cleveland Browns.