ALLEN PARK L.J. Collier Jersey , Mich. (AP) — For some franchises, being undefeated through three games seems almost routine.The Detroit Lions are not one of those teams. Coach Matt Patricia and quarterback Matthew Stafford were under pressure to show signs of progress in 2019, and so far they’re delivering.“There’s great teams every week, and things can go either way pretty quickly, but I think the group’s working really hard,” Patricia said. “I think they’re trying to do everything they can the right way. We’ve got a long way to go.”Stafford has put up big numbers at times in his career, but he’s been dogged by the team’s inability to beat top competition, especially on the road.So Sunday’s 27-24 win at Philadelphia resonates. Although the Eagles were short-handed because of injuries, they’re still less than two years removed from a Super Bowl title.Patricia took over the Lions before last season and the team went 6-10. It wasn’t a particularly great year for Stafford, and when Detroit blew a fourth-quarter lead in its 2019 opener at Arizona, settling for a tie, it was easy to envision another dreary campaign. The next three games were against the Chargers http://www.seahawksauthorizedshops.com/authentic-marquise-blair-jersey , Eagles and Chiefs, all playoff teams last season.Well, the Lions (2-0-1) have won the first two games of that stretch. They led 27-17 in the fourth quarter at Philadelphia before giving up a touchdown and having a field goal blocked. A couple of crucial penalties on the Eagles helped Detroit hold on.It was a shaky finish, but if the Lions can keep winning games such as that, it will go a long way toward winning over an understandably skeptical fanbase.A few words of caution: The previous time Detroit was unbeaten through three games was in 2011, when the Lions started 5-0 and looked poised for an extended stretch of success with Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Ndamukong Suh. Detroit ended up going 10-6 that season, lost its postseason opener and didn’t make the playoffs again until three years later.This year’s Lions have given up more yards than they’ve gained, and all three of their games could have gone either way.But they’ve put themselves in position to win, regardless of the competition.“These are very competitive people, very much so want to win and want to do the things the right way,” Patricia said Monday. “I think we truly believe that if we put the work in every single week T.J. Hockenson Jersey , and we go out and approach it the right way that we should go out and be as competitive as we can be.”WHAT’S WORKINGDetroit has allowed only three sacks this season and they were all in Week 1. The offensive line hasn’t necessarily been dominant, but the Lions have done a decent job avoiding negative plays.WHAT NEEDS HELPThe running game still isn’t all that productive. Kerryon Johnson scored a touchdown but finished with only 36 yards on 20 carries Sunday.STOCK UPJamal Agnew was relieved of his punt returning duties the previous weekend, but he bounced back in a big way with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the Eagles. He also had a 24-yard punt return.STOCK DOWNRookie tight end T.J. Hockenson had only one catch for 1 yard, and he has only two catches in the past two games following a stirring debut in the opener. The first-round draft pick clearly has potential, but it’s time to tap the breaks on talk of instant stardom.INJUREDA couple of key defensive players left Sunday’s game. Defensive tackle Mike Daniels (foot) left in the first quarter and didn’t return, and cornerback Darius Slay (hamstring) exited in the third quarter. Patricia had no updates on them.KEY NUMBER32 — Touchdown passes Stafford is on pace for this season. He has six already after posting only 21 a season ago.NEXT STEPSDetroit hosts Kansas City (3-0) this weekend in a matchup that surprisingly includes two unbeaten teams.Unlike the Chargers and Eagles, the Chiefs very much seem to be firing on all cylinders offensively and are living up to preseason expectations.“I wouldn’t look at it as a measuring stick,” Detroit defensive lineman Trey Flowers said. “It’s definitely a challenge that we’re willing to take — we’re willing to face great quarterbacks, great opponents.” Tom Brady is staying mum on his status for the AFC championship game after suffering a right hand injury earlier in the week.

Brady said a bit contentiously only ”We’ll see” on Friday when asked whether he would play in Sunday’s conference title game against Jacksonville.

The quarterback wore red gloves and responded to several other questions about how much he practiced or how he sustained the injury by saying ”I’m not talking about that.”

Brady is listed as questionable for Sunday after being a limited participant in practice Friday. He was also limited on Wednesday. He sat out practice Thursday, but wore a glove on his injured hand during the stretching period open to reporters. He usually only wears a glove on his non-throwing hand.

One thing Brady was clear about was the test he expects from a Jaguars unit ranked second in the NFL in total and scoring defense.

”It’s a very unique challenge,” Brady said. ”I think their front three, their linebackers Jahlani Tavai Jersey , are very instinctive and very fast. And great cover guys in the secondary. Ball-hawking defense. They strip it off you, they sack you. … So they’re a good defense.”

Brady appeared on the Patriots’ weekly injury report several times during the latter half of this season with injuries to both his Achilles tendon and his left shoulder. The four-time Super Bowl MVP has never missed a playoff start during his 18-year career.

”Tom always tends to show up in big games. This is a big game,” receiver Danny Amendola said. ”(He’s) super tough. The toughest. He’s a warrior, he’s a competitor and there’s really only one reason why he’s here, and that’s to play football. ”

Jacksonville is preparing like Brady will be in the huddle as usual Sunday. Jaguars defensive tackle Marcell Dareus said typical methods of rattling a quarterback don’t apply when it comes to him.

”You can hit Brady, but hitting him isn’t what’s going to get to him. It’s constantly being that gnat in his face. He just hates that gnat just always around,” said Dareus, who might be more familiar than any Jacksonville player with Brady, having spent six-plus seasons with the Bills.

”You sack him he’s going to get up and just keep rolling. He’s that competitive spirit, like, `OK, you got me. Now I’m fixing to go throw this touchdown the next play. Forty yards. You happy about that sack? But there you go.’ That’s just his mentality. I like it. I love playing against the guy. He’s phenomenal to watch.”

If for some reason Brady can’t go – no Will Harris Jersey , the Earth won’t stop rotating on its axis and New England still would show up to play – the Patriots would look to backup Brian Hoyer. His last playoff start was the antithesis of a Brady performance. For Houston in its 2015 AFC wild-card matchup with Kansas City, Hoyer completed 15 of 34 passes for 136 yards, with no touchdowns and five turnovers (four interceptions) in a 30-0 loss.

Hoyer, a former Patriot, was acquired in midseason when the Patriots traded Jimmy Garoppolo to San Francisco.

”I’m always preparing to play because the truth of reality is you never know when your name’s gonna be called,” he said Thursday.

The Patriots haven’t called any QB’s name in the postseason other than Brady’s since the 1990s.

ALLEN PARK L.J. Collier Jersey , Mich. (AP) — For some franchises, being undefeated through three games seems almost routine.The Detroit Lions are not one of those teams. Coach Matt Patricia and quarterback Matthew Stafford were under pressure to show signs of progress in 2019, and so far they’re delivering.“There’s great teams every week, and things can go either way pretty quickly, but I think the group’s working really hard,” Patricia said. “I think they’re trying to do everything they can the right way. We’ve got a long way to go.”Stafford has put up big numbers at times in his career, but he’s been dogged by the team’s inability to beat top competition, especially on the road.So Sunday’s 27-24 win at Philadelphia resonates. Although the Eagles were short-handed because of injuries, they’re still less than two years removed from a Super Bowl title.Patricia took over the Lions before last season and the team went 6-10. It wasn’t a particularly great year for Stafford, and when Detroit blew a fourth-quarter lead in its 2019 opener at Arizona, settling for a tie, it was easy to envision another dreary campaign. The next three games were against the Chargers http://www.seahawksauthorizedshops.com/authentic-marquise-blair-jersey , Eagles and Chiefs, all playoff teams last season.Well, the Lions (2-0-1) have won the first two games of that stretch. They led 27-17 in the fourth quarter at Philadelphia before giving up a touchdown and having a field goal blocked. A couple of crucial penalties on the Eagles helped Detroit hold on.It was a shaky finish, but if the Lions can keep winning games such as that, it will go a long way toward winning over an understandably skeptical fanbase.A few words of caution: The previous time Detroit was unbeaten through three games was in 2011, when the Lions started 5-0 and looked poised for an extended stretch of success with Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Ndamukong Suh. Detroit ended up going 10-6 that season, lost its postseason opener and didn’t make the playoffs again until three years later.This year’s Lions have given up more yards than they’ve gained, and all three of their games could have gone either way.But they’ve put themselves in position to win, regardless of the competition.“These are very competitive people, very much so want to win and want to do the things the right way,” Patricia said Monday. “I think we truly believe that if we put the work in every single week T.J. Hockenson Jersey , and we go out and approach it the right way that we should go out and be as competitive as we can be.”WHAT’S WORKINGDetroit has allowed only three sacks this season and they were all in Week 1. The offensive line hasn’t necessarily been dominant, but the Lions have done a decent job avoiding negative plays.WHAT NEEDS HELPThe running game still isn’t all that productive. Kerryon Johnson scored a touchdown but finished with only 36 yards on 20 carries Sunday.STOCK UPJamal Agnew was relieved of his punt returning duties the previous weekend, but he bounced back in a big way with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the Eagles. He also had a 24-yard punt return.STOCK DOWNRookie tight end T.J. Hockenson had only one catch for 1 yard, and he has only two catches in the past two games following a stirring debut in the opener. The first-round draft pick clearly has potential, but it’s time to tap the breaks on talk of instant stardom.INJUREDA couple of key defensive players left Sunday’s game. Defensive tackle Mike Daniels (foot) left in the first quarter and didn’t return, and cornerback Darius Slay (hamstring) exited in the third quarter. Patricia had no updates on them.KEY NUMBER32 — Touchdown passes Stafford is on pace for this season. He has six already after posting only 21 a season ago.NEXT STEPSDetroit hosts Kansas City (3-0) this weekend in a matchup that surprisingly includes two unbeaten teams.Unlike the Chargers and Eagles, the Chiefs very much seem to be firing on all cylinders offensively and are living up to preseason expectations.“I wouldn’t look at it as a measuring stick,” Detroit defensive lineman Trey Flowers said. “It’s definitely a challenge that we’re willing to take — we’re willing to face great quarterbacks, great opponents.” Tom Brady is staying mum on his status for the AFC championship game after suffering a right hand injury earlier in the week.

Brady said a bit contentiously only ”We’ll see” on Friday when asked whether he would play in Sunday’s conference title game against Jacksonville.

The quarterback wore red gloves and responded to several other questions about how much he practiced or how he sustained the injury by saying ”I’m not talking about that.”

Brady is listed as questionable for Sunday after being a limited participant in practice Friday. He was also limited on Wednesday. He sat out practice Thursday, but wore a glove on his injured hand during the stretching period open to reporters. He usually only wears a glove on his non-throwing hand.

One thing Brady was clear about was the test he expects from a Jaguars unit ranked second in the NFL in total and scoring defense.

”It’s a very unique challenge,” Brady said. ”I think their front three, their linebackers Jahlani Tavai Jersey , are very instinctive and very fast. And great cover guys in the secondary. Ball-hawking defense. They strip it off you, they sack you. … So they’re a good defense.”

Brady appeared on the Patriots’ weekly injury report several times during the latter half of this season with injuries to both his Achilles tendon and his left shoulder. The four-time Super Bowl MVP has never missed a playoff start during his 18-year career.

”Tom always tends to show up in big games. This is a big game,” receiver Danny Amendola said. ”(He’s) super tough. The toughest. He’s a warrior, he’s a competitor and there’s really only one reason why he’s here, and that’s to play football. ”

Jacksonville is preparing like Brady will be in the huddle as usual Sunday. Jaguars defensive tackle Marcell Dareus said typical methods of rattling a quarterback don’t apply when it comes to him.

”You can hit Brady, but hitting him isn’t what’s going to get to him. It’s constantly being that gnat in his face. He just hates that gnat just always around,” said Dareus, who might be more familiar than any Jacksonville player with Brady, having spent six-plus seasons with the Bills.

”You sack him he’s going to get up and just keep rolling. He’s that competitive spirit, like, `OK, you got me. Now I’m fixing to go throw this touchdown the next play. Forty yards. You happy about that sack? But there you go.’ That’s just his mentality. I like it. I love playing against the guy. He’s phenomenal to watch.”

If for some reason Brady can’t go – no Will Harris Jersey , the Earth won’t stop rotating on its axis and New England still would show up to play – the Patriots would look to backup Brian Hoyer. His last playoff start was the antithesis of a Brady performance. For Houston in its 2015 AFC wild-card matchup with Kansas City, Hoyer completed 15 of 34 passes for 136 yards, with no touchdowns and five turnovers (four interceptions) in a 30-0 loss.

Hoyer, a former Patriot, was acquired in midseason when the Patriots traded Jimmy Garoppolo to San Francisco.

”I’m always preparing to play because the truth of reality is you never know when your name’s gonna be called,” he said Thursday.

The Patriots haven’t called any QB’s name in the postseason other than Brady’s since the 1990s.

Including the playoffs, the Jaguars scored eight defensive touchdowns this season, three more than any other team. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey had four interceptions during the regular season and also had one in the wild-card win over Buffalo.

He also fully expects to see Brady on the field Sunday.

”He’s going to be out there, he’s going to play, he’s going to play to his best of ability and do what he does,” Ramsey said.

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uars scored eight defensive touchdowns this season, three more than any other team. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey had four interceptions during the regular season and also had one in the wild-card win over Buffalo.

He also fully expects to see Brady on the field Sunday.

”He’s going to be out there, he’s going to play, he’s going to play to his best of ability and do what he does,” Ramsey said.

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