Patriots lose Stevenson and Ben Brown, face Lions in Munich short at running back

The New England Patriots lost more than a game to Green Bay on Sunday. The 45-27 defeat also took out their lead running back and another starting guard, and two defensive backs left early with problems that still haven't been sorted out. That leaves a thin roster flying to Munich to play the Detroit Lions.

The biggest loss is Rhamondre Stevenson. He hurt his knee on a short catch near the sideline late in the third quarter and was ruled out soon after, according to SB Nation's Pats Pulpit, which tracked every injury from the game. NESN passed along NFL Network's Ian Rapoport's report that Stevenson is expected to miss the next few weeks. He has 399 yards and two touchdowns on 102 carries this season, and he caught a touchdown pass from Drake Maye against the Packers before he got hurt.

Rookie TreVeyon Henderson is also out of the picture for now. He has missed two straight games with an illness, so the Patriots could be down their top two backs against Detroit. That would leave Corey Kiner, Lan Larison and practice-squad back Terrell Jennings to carry the load, which also cuts into a passing game that has leaned on its backs.

The offensive line took another hit too. Left guard Ben Brown hurt his knee late in the first half while pass blocking and never came back. Yahoo Sports reported that Brown has been ruled out for Sunday. That keeps the rotation at guard going: either Walter Rouse returns to the lineup or veteran Greg Van Roten, whose window to come off injured reserve opened last week, gets the start. There was better news at left tackle. Will Campbell hurt his knee early in the fourth quarter, but he said after the game that he could have come back if the score had been closer.

On defense, cornerback Carlton Davis III hurt his knee in coverage before halftime and was ruled out. Safety Brenden Schooler, who came into the game with a hamstring problem, played only four snaps. The team hasn't said whether either one will play this week. Maye took a hard sack late but came out mainly because of the score, and receiver Kyle Williams was shaken up but finished the game.

What it means against Detroit

The Patriots are 5-4 and haven't won or lost two in a row since September. They have alternated results across their last four games, and the Green Bay loss was the second time this season they gave up at least 35 points, after a 35-6 loss at Jacksonville. Their wins have come in close games against Buffalo, Miami and the Jets, and that's where a short-handed offense will be tested most.

The Lions are favored. Novig has Detroit at -138 and New England at +133 on the moneyline, and the best price on the Patriots anywhere is +138 at BetRivers. The spread is Detroit -2.5 at Novig, with the Patriots at +104. Pinnacle has New England at +3, priced at -115. The total is 51.5 at Novig and 50.5 at FanDuel. The venues are within a point of each other on both the spread and the total, and sportsbook hold runs from about 3 to 6 percent. Current numbers across all 12 venues are on the game page.

The Patriots practice Wednesday, fly overnight to Munich, and hold two more sessions before the 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff Sunday on Fox.