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Patriots stand pat at trade deadline, turn to Lions in Munich after Packers rout
New England made no trades before the deadline and will rely on returning injured players as it heads to Germany to face Detroit at 5-4.
The New England Patriots let Tuesday's trade deadline go by without making a deal. They will try to stop a slide with the roster they already have, starting Sunday against the Detroit Lions in Munich.
The quiet afternoon followed a 45-27 home loss to Green Bay that left the Patriots at 5-4. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson also hurt his knee in that game, and MassLive reported he will miss several weeks. The injured list was already long. MassLive's Karen Guregian listed Romeo Doubs, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Reggie Gilliam, Greg Van Roten, Dell Pettus, Michael Onwenu, Harold Landry and Quintayvious Hutchins as still on injured reserve. Doubs and Vera-Tucker can return after the bye, and A.J. Brown, who has a chronic knee problem, could be back soon.
Guregian wrote that the team seems to be counting on those returns. It also seems unwilling to give up more future assets after sending a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder to get Brown in June. New England has about $5 million in cap space, which is mostly set aside for in-season moves such as practice-squad call-ups. There had been reports that defensive tackle Christian Barmore or cornerback Carlton Davis III could be moved. Neither was traded. Mike Vrabel said Monday he still thinks he has a contending team, and that the direction is "forward, positive and winning," according to MassLive.
Not everyone agrees. SB Nation's Pats Pulpit collected the week's coverage, and it shows plenty of doubt. CBS Sports put New England among its pretenders after Week 9. Other writers pointed to AFC rivals that added players while the Patriots did nothing. Others questioned how much help Drake Maye is getting from his blocking and his receivers. Vrabel has also publicly called out cornerback Christian Gonzalez, which puts a spotlight on the secondary after Green Bay put up 45 points.
What it means for Sunday in Munich
The numbers show a team that wins some games and gets blown out in others. New England has scored 211 points and allowed 207, so it is just plus-4 for the season even with five wins. Two losses were lopsided: 35-6 at Jacksonville and the 45-27 loss to the Packers. The Patriots are 2-2 over their last four games and 2-3 away from Foxborough, and they have not won two straight since a three-game run against Buffalo, Las Vegas and the Jets.
The Lions are favored. On Novig, Detroit is -144 on the moneyline and New England is +138. The spread is Lions -2.5 at -117, with the Patriots +2.5 at +115. The best Patriots spread among the 11 venues on this site's board is theScore Bet's +3 at -115, half a point more than Novig's number. The total is 50.5 on Novig, with the over at -108 and the under at +102. DraftKings has the highest under line at 51.5, priced at -120. Sportsbook hold runs from 3.3% to 5.3% on the moneyline and from 4.5% to 5.5% on the spread, so the books price the game a little differently but largely agree on the line.
With Stevenson out and the reinforcements still on the way, New England has to keep it close on a neutral field with a thin roster. Kickoff is Sunday, November 15, on Fox.