Lions notes: Matt Patricia under average pressure in 2019

Much has been already said about Matt Patricia’s status in Detroit. The former New England Patriots defensive coordinator’s first year of establishing the “Patriot Way” in 2018 was a rocky 6-10 season, and we are all watching to see if the team can get it together in year two.

NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora realizes the pressure on Patricia, but believes that a lot of other coaches are dealing with even more strain in 2019. La Canfora ranked all 32 NFL head coaches by how “hot” their seat is entering the season, and the Lions coach came in 15th. The writer said:

Matt Patricia’s first season at the helm saw the team drop substantially and the passing game fall apart. Matthew Stafford makes mega bucks but they ran the ball a ton. The success rate of Belichick assistants is well established. He didn’t exactly endear himself to the local fans and media in Year One.

Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien leads off the list at No. 1.

• Bleacher Report NFL asked their panel of writers to predict the winners of each division in 2019. The NFC North projects to be one of the most competitive in 2019, with three teams receiving votes to end up on top. The Lions were the one team that no one voted to finish first, though.

• The Lions had some of their players reenact the plot of Disney blockbuster “The Lion King” with stuffed animals to hilarious results:

• The Big Lead’s Liam McKeone ranked who he believes to be the Top 50 players in the NFL at the moment. Only one Lion made the list, and surprisingly it’s Matthew Stafford at No. 49.

• Pro Football Focus gave some props to defensive tackle Damon Harrison Sr. on Twitter today, as their numbers show him as one of the most surefire tacklers in 2018: