The Detroit Lions are getting Clay Martin and his crew for their Week 10 matchup against the New England Patriots in Munich, and it’s a familiar assignment for Detroit.
Martin will work his second Lions game of the season when the teams kick off at 9:30 a.m. E.T.
His first came in Week 4, when the Lions fell to the Carolina Panthers. That game featured 17 penalties total, with nine against Carolina and eight against Detroit.
Detroit’s list of flags that day was a messy one: four false starts, a defensive pass interference, an offensive holding and two delay of game penalties.
Martin’s crew is coming off a much busier whistle in Week 9, when the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys combined for 23 penalties. That was a career high for Martin, and it marked the first time his crew had ever reached 20 or more flags in a game. Before that, he had not overseen a contest with more than 17 penalties.
At the same time, Martin has also been on the other end of the spectrum. He has worked two games this season with fewer than 10 total penalties, and his crew currently ranks fifth among NFL officiating teams in total penalties called.
That said, the raw total is inflated because he has not had a bye week yet. On a per-game basis, Martin’s crew sits fifth-lowest at 13.44 penalties per game, and his 2.56 dismissed flags per game rank sixth in the league.
The whistles most likely to matter Sunday are the ones at the line. Martin has called 29 offensive holding penalties and 22 false starts, his two most common infractions. That puts extra attention on both trenches in Munich.
Detroit enters the game tied for 18th in offensive holding penalties with 12, which works out to 1.5 per game through eight games. The Lions are also tied for seventh in false starts with 15.
New England has 14 offensive holding penalties, one more than Detroit, and has been flagged for false starts 12 times.
Martin’s previous Lions game this season ended in a loss, and Detroit is now 5-6 with him as the head official in his career.
In Other News...
Lions Enter Munich With One Clear Edge In A Shorthanded Fight
The trip to Munich arrives with both Detroit and New England trying to manage the kind of injury list that can change a game plan before the opening kickoff. The Patriots are missing cornerback Carlton Davis III and left guard Ben Brown, and they may also be without running back Rhamondre Stevenson, while the Lions head overseas without linebacker Jack Campbell, center Cade Mays, cornerback D.J. Reed and safety Kerby Joseph.
Even with those absences, Detroit still carries what looks like the cleaner edge into Week 10, especially in a matchup that could hinge on which side handles the shorthanded conditions better. The Lions have been more stable in recent weeks, and with both teams forced to adjust on the fly, the margin may come down to which roster can absorb the losses without losing its identity in an unfamiliar setting. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Just Put More Pressure On Two Unproven Defensive Backs
The Lions passed on adding a cornerback at the trade deadline, sticking with the group they have and leaving Khalil Dorsey and Keith Abney II in line for more important snaps. It is a vote of confidence in a defense that has looked sharper since shifting from zone to man coverage, with those two helping stabilize key situations as the staff sorted through its options.
Now the pressure shifts to whether that internal bet holds up when the schedule gets tougher. Detroit clearly believes its current approach can keep working, but without an outside addition, the margin for error at cornerback gets thinner fast, and the next stretch will show whether Dorsey and Abney can keep answering the call. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Offense Is About To Test A Patriots Weakness
Jared Goffs practice week has been worth watching as the Lions get ready to meet the Patriots in Munich, but the quarterback is still expected to be available. That matters because Detroits offense comes into the matchup with real punch, led by Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown, and it is the kind of unit that can force a defense to answer early and often.
For New England, the trip overseas adds another layer to a game already carrying pressure after a rough defensive showing last time out. The Patriots are trying to tighten things up after allowing 45 points in their previous game, and now they draw a Detroit attack that has enough speed and playmaking to expose any lingering issues. [Read more 🡒]