It's an election year, and Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia is doing his part.
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Wearing a “Detroit Votes” t-shirt during his session with media members this afternoon, Patricia explained that he'll be casting his vote later tonight, having just received his ballot in the mail. He also went on to praise the NFL's initiative to encourage their players to make their voices heard:
“I'm voting tonight – the ballot showed up at the house, so hopefully I'll get home hereto tonight and we'll get that vote in,” Patricia explained. “The initiative and the conversation from tour organization and the league and the players just to encourage everyone to go out and vote, it's really cool.”
But before the election, there's more business to attend to – namely, the Atlanta Falcons.
The Lions were able to put together a solid performance last weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and are hoping for a follow-up this weekend against the 1-5 Falcons.
However, Patricia wasn't dismissive of their pedestrian record, complimenting their offense which put up 40 points against the Minnesota Vikings.
“For us, it's making sure we know it's a different week,” he said. “We have to go into each game and compete, the teams we play each week are different, and doing our due diligence to give ourselves an opportunity to win. Obviously for Atlanta, a great last week; they're a dangerous team and we know how explosive they are.”
Of course, the Lions have had their fair share of blown leads this season, having even set a dubious NFL record in the process. How do they not get too far ahead of themselves after a big win, and focus on putting their next opponent away?
“You just look at their players and you see how dangerous and good they are,” he said. “From our standpoint, we know it's 60 minutes of football, maybe more…from that standpoint, we have to stay focused and lock in; not ride the ebbs and flows of the game, and just concentrate on the next play.”
The Lions and Falcons will get underway from Mercedes-Benz Stadium Sunday at 1:00 PM.
