Getty Matt Patricia during a Lions game against Minnesota.
The Detroit Lions have been sloppy early on during the 2020 season, and as a result of this, the focus has shifted toward the future of the staff and head coach Matt Patricia.
Detroit rebounded in Week 6 with a much needed 36-14 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, but what has that done for the future of Patricia in Detroit? It’s tough to say considering there are plenty more games to go on the season. It may have taken a bit of the pressure off in the short term, however.
Entering Week 6, rumors were beginning to swirl that Patricia is facing the heat. A report even suggested that a loss to the Jaguars could have ended Patricia entirely. Even so, the fact remains that the coach could be feeling the heat with his tenure starting now.
According to ESPN insider Chris Mortensen, the pressure is intensifying on Patricia from within the organization.
One to monitor: Pressure on #Lions HC Matt Patricia has intensified, per @mortreport. Detroit has lost 12 out of their last 13 dating back to last season. They are in Jacksonville today for a matchup vs. the 1-4 #Jaguars:
Detroit ended up beating the Jaguars in that game to get to 2-3 on the season, but more stumbling blocks exist in the coming weeks in the form of more teams with losing records. Not measuring up in those games could either get Patricia fired or put even more pressure on him in the days ahead.
Regardless, it’s been made clear in the last few days that the Lions are keeping an eye on Patricia, and he’s firmly on notice to turn around what has been a difficult season on the field.
Matt Patricia’s Resume
The coach hasn’t been great since taking over the Lions, and he’s possessed a 11-25-1 record in his career as a boss in the league. Worse than that, players have had periodic unrest with the staff, which has been bad news for Patricia as it relates to trying to get his program off the ground and running. Before coming to Detroit, the coach was a successful defensive coordinator in New England. The problem in Detroit has been Patricia’s defense has been abysmal and not able to meet the offense halfway or even improve.
Patricia got a pass in 2019 for operating a team with a rash of injuries, but that excuse doesn’t persist in 2020, which could leave him in trouble if his record and his team don’t find a quick way to improve and net some huge wins.
What Could Get Matt Patricia Fired?
The Lions schedule down the stretch gets even more soft statistically in terms of their opposition. With the players still on the roster, there should be an expectation that the Lions make a run at the postseason even though they have started 2020 off well below .500. If the Lions continue to struggle, it seemed likely that they elect to move on after the 2020 season. That timeline, however, could be accelerated a bit now.
Should Patricia fail to make any type of run with the schedule he has coming up, it will be possible if not likely that the team elects to move on at some point. It’s been stated this is a playoff or bust type season, so the biggest question might involve what happens to general manager Bob Quinn.
Moving forward, Patricia could have plenty of heat on him to deal with, which means he would be best served to keep winning games of all kinds.
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