ALLEN PARK Will Harris Jersey Mens , Mich. (AP) — Matt Patricia wants the Detroit Lions to stay the course.The Lions have lost three games in a row — all by double digits — and are mired in last place. Their most recent defeat was an ugly one. Detroit fell behind 26-0 in the second quarter and eventually lost 34-22 at Chicago on Sunday.Patricia's first season as coach has been a disappointment so far, and if he has any easy, quick fixes at his disposal, he wasn't sharing them in his Monday news conference. "No time to feel sorry for ourselves," Patricia said. "We have to just keep working and getting better."Offensive lineman Taylor Decker sounded a similar refrain."You've just got to play better," Decker said. "At the end of the day, you've just got to perform better. I know that sounds cliche. It's a simple answer, but it's not easy to do."The Lions (3-6) lost their first two games of the season, then fought back to a 3-3 mark before this current losing skid. They traded receiver Golden Tate before going on the road to face Minnesota and Chicago, and Detroit never led in either of those games.The past two games have been particularly rough from a pass protection standpoint. Detroit allowed 10 sacks against the Vikings and six against the Bears."Whatever the situation is, whatever the score is, we have to play better as an offensive line. We have to protect the quarterback," Decker said. "Six sacks isn't something that's going to be acceptable, and we know that."So now the Lions are back where they were after those first two losses — playing catch-up. Only now, they don't have a long season still in front of them. Detroit's next three games are at home, but all are against teams with winning records in Carolina, Chicago and the Los Angeles Rams.The Lions fired special teams coordinator Joe Marciano last week Youth Will Harris Jersey , but Patricia indicated no more staff changes are imminent. He said communication between him and the players is good."I think we understand (that) we're working hard to try to get everything the right way. There's not a big discussion about it, there's not a big confrontation or anything like that. I don't know where any of that really comes from outside the building," Patricia said."Inside the building, we're just trying to get better. We really are just working really hard to make sure we're doing the right things and trying to find different ways, if we have to, to get those things done."Detroit went 9-7 last season and then fired coach Jim Caldwell, so that makes the decline in 2018 even more alarming. Quarterback Matthew Stafford turned 30 earlier this year, and although the Lions traded Tate — a potential free agent at season's end — for a draft pick, this franchise doesn't seem as if it's in a rebuilding mode.That means the rest of this season is significant. Whether they make the playoffs or not, the Lions need to show some progress — some reason for fans to trust that this roster and this coach are better than what the team has shown so far."I believe in this team and we're going to work real hard every single day," Patricia said. "I think the guys in that room, I have a great understanding of what they are and what we're going to do as a team. We're not hitting the panic button or anything like that right now. We're just trying to get better."NOTES: P Sam Martin didn't go into much detail about the medical issue that sent him to the hospital, other than to say he's fine and will play this coming weekend. He said he got blocked during a return Sunday. … The Lions waived CB Lenzy Pipkins.2018 NFL preview: Predicting the Detroit Lions offensive player of the year Now that it’s officially Week 1 of the 2018 NFL season, it’s time to start our preview series for the Detroit Lions. Throughout this entire week, our staff will be giving you our predictions for the 2018 season.Today, we start with probably the most obvious question facing the Lions: Who will be the team’s Offensive Player of the Year? Chris PerfettMatthew Stafford. You all made fun of me trying to pick anyone but him last year but to say his name is just unsporting. I wanted to list Golden Tate or something. I don’t think Stafford will be as good as past years though.Mike PaytonIt will easily once again be Matthew Stafford. The Lions quarterback is in his prime and only seems to be getting better. With a run game, a healthy offensive line and those receivers White Will Harris Jersey , we could be talking about more than just the Lions MVP. We could be talking about a dark-horse league MVP.Ryan MathewsMatthew StaffordWhile the 2018 offseason will be remembered for Bob Quinn’s commitment to establishing a running game in Detroit, no one is better set up for success than the Lions franchise quarterback, Matthew Stafford.Should the Lions offensive line manage to stay healthy, they have one of the top units in the league on paper, and for the second-most sacked quarterback a year ago, keeping Stafford upright and with time to look downfield and throw, Stafford and this offense should finally be able to realize the potential so many see in both Stafford and the offense on a macro level.Mansur Shaheen Matthew Stafford. We are going to go as far as Stafford takes us. He is the most talented player on this team overall, and possibly the most talented player to ever play for the Detroit Lions. Expect him to continue to put up amazing passing stats and drag this team to victories in games that we have no business winning. John WhiticarMatthew Stafford.It’s a safe pick, but an easy one to make. This team rides-or-dies on the arm of Stafford. We’ve seen him carry this team to incredible comebacks. Some will criticize him for “padding stats,” but in the end, he keeps this team competitive. Will a rejuvenated run game help ease the burden? Perhaps. But this has been and will be Stafford’s team.Hamza Baccouche This is an easy one: if the Lions offense is a machine, Stafford is the gasoline. While there have been a lot of resources invested in revamping the running game and giving Stafford a supporting cast, I won’t believe it until I see it. Stafford’s importance to this team is only amplified now by the fact that nobody won the backup quarterback job, Matt Cassel was the lesser of two losers between him and Jake Rudock. If Stafford goes down, so does the Lions offense and in essence, the entire team, as playing Cassel or Rudock at quarterback is like fueling the machine with liquid glue and expecting it to run as normal.Kyle YostMatthew Stafford. He is not the most interesting answer Ty Johnson Detroit Lions Jersey , but sometimes the obvious choice is the right one. At this point in his career, Stafford is who he is. The national media may sleep on him a bit, and his overall stat line is often boosted by volume, but the Lions’ undisputed leader is set for another solid season. With questions still remaining on the offensive line, the running game will be better but not amazing. This will require Stafford to throw the Lions into wins as he has done so many times in his career.Jerry MalloryLet’s just name this the Matthew Stafford MVP award. That way, we can include our actual MVP in the name but give the award to someone else (the second most value guy on offense). In other words, my non Stafford MVP goes to Golden Tate. It’s potentially his swan song in Detroit, and he has been eyeing his fellow NFL receiver’s new contracts. Tate will play like a guy looking to get paid after this season.Kent Lee PlatteThe cop out for this is always going to be Matthew Stafford. He’s been carrying the team for so long, it’s almost a joke. In 2018, however, there’s a legitimate challenger emerging, and it’s one I can’t believe I am going to be predicting. The Lions run game has been garbage the entirety of my time covering the Lions, but I sense a completely different feel with the team this season and specifically with rookie running back Kerryon Johnson. My RB6 in the draft (though I shuffled 5 and 6 back and forth a bunch of times), I won’t pretend I was hyping him up from the get, but I always loved his game and even predicted that by the end of the draft, he would be a Detroit Lion because of how good he fit. Johnson exceeded every expectation I have, and has looked not only like a perfect fit in the offense Ty Johnson Jersey 2019 , but the kind of player who could completely legitimize an offense. Considering Stafford has already made this offense a threat, having a running back that can take it to another level would push this team into uncharted territory, which is why I’m choosing him for offensive MVP.Justin SimonIt’s got to be Matthew Stafford. I think Marvin Jones Jr. could have another great year, but outside of him I don’t see another viable option on offense. This team will live and die by Stafford even with an improved running game. If everything clicks, the Lions could push for a top five offense and Stafford will be the reason.Jeremy ReismanI’d like to write something witty or bold here, but why waste your time and mine. We both know it’s Stafford, so click the little thing at the bottom and we’ll both go along with our day. Levi BlueMatthew Stafford. I know this is the obvious pick but when a team shells out $135 million, everybody (myself included) should expect nothing less. We know that Stafford has good vision, a great arm and an increasing intelligence for the game. He has passion and toughness that this team will lean on during the season, and those are invaluable intangibles. Stafford’s stat sheets show that he has the skills that could possibly take us to the promised land. Now that he (hopefully) has a solid line and running game in place, opposing defenses will stay honest, opening up opportunities for him to exploit. If he’s able to do that, there’s no reason why he couldn’t make a case for being one of the best QBs in the league.
