The New England Patriots look to build more steam heading into their third game of the preseason. Having won their first two exhibition games, the Pats will gun for a perfect 3-0 record in preseason play when they take on the Detroit Lions on Thursday at Ford Field.
The Patriots are so far in cruise control this postseason, hammering down the Philadelphia Eagles 31-22 on Week 1 before taking a 25-21 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Week 2.
Ryan Mallet was the star in the Pats' victory over the Pirates last week, but now all the spotlights will be on Tom Brady. After completing 11-for-12 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown in the second preseason game, Brady is set to engage in an explosive match-up with Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Stafford has been a little inconsistent this preseason, completing 3-for-8 for 68 yards in a 26-17 win against the New York Jets and 11-for-16 for 74 yards in a 24-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Nevertheless, a match-up with Brady will surely motivate Stafford to show up his A-game and lead Detroit to a rare preseason win against the perennial Super Bowl contender.
Players to Watch:
For the Lions: Pro Bowl wideout Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush are expected to do some damage on Thursday night.
For the Pats: wide receiver Danny Amendola will try to sustain his good run this preseason after racking up 71 yards against the Buccaneers. However, it's up in the air whether he'll show up on Thursday because of undisclosed injury.
Double Header:
The Carolina Panthers and the defending Super Bowl champ Baltimore Ravens will also slug it out in a preseason matchup (8:00 p.m Thursday). The Ravens are also carrying an undefeated 2-0 slate into the third game of the preseason while the Panthers dropped their last game against the Philadelphia Eagles 9-14.
Players to Watch:
For Panthers: Cam Newton has been struggling this postseason, but he has a chance to solve that funk against the Ravens defense.
For the Ravens: It will be interesting to see how Joe Flacco get himself ready for next season grind.
Schedule & Live Streaming
New England Patriots vs. Detroit Lions (7:00 p.m)/ Baltimore Ravens vs. Carolina Panthers (8:00 p.m)
Live Streaming is available on NFL Live
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