The Lions will play in Munich without three injured starters. Detroit announced on Thursday that safety Kerby Joseph, center Cade Mays and cornerback D.J. Reed will not make the trip to Germany and are out for Sunday’s game against the Patriots. In Munich, the Patriots held their first practice at FC Bayern’s training ground, Rhamondre Stevenson was back on the injury report as a limited player, and Drake Maye used his first press conference in Germany to push back on the reports about his running back and to back Harry Kane’s dream of kicking in the NFL.
Patriots vs. Lions kicks off on Sunday, November 15, at 3:30 p.m. in Munich, which is 9:30 a.m. ET and 4:30 p.m. in Cairo, at the Allianz Arena. Detroit is the home team. The Patriots’ arrival on Thursday morning is in our Munich game week, day three story.
Three Lions stay home
Mays (ankle) and Reed (hip) were hurt in the Nov. 1 win over the Vikings, sat out last Sunday’s game in Miami and did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday, and Dan Campbell had already called them long shots for this week. Juice Scruggs is expected to start at center again, and Rock Ya-Sin started at corner in Reed’s place against the Dolphins. Joseph’s case is different. He has not played in more than a year because of a cartilage condition in his left knee, and he was a full participant on Thursday for the first time since his practice window opened on Oct. 28. The Lions have until 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 18 (11 p.m. in Cairo), to move him onto the active roster, or his 2026 season is over.
The Lions announce the three players staying in Detroit. Post by the Lions.
There was better news at quarterback. Jared Goff, listed as limited on Wednesday with a chest injury, was a full participant on Thursday, and so was safety Brian Branch (hip). Amon-Ra St. Brown (rib) was limited again, and running back Sione Vaki (ankle) did not practice for a second day, though he was not among the players left behind.
The Thursday reports
| Team | Player | Injury | Thursday | Game status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | TreVeyon Henderson, RB | Illness | DNP | Out |
| Patriots | Ben Brown, G | Knee | DNP | Out |
| Patriots | Carlton Davis III, CB | Knee | DNP | Out |
| Patriots | Rhamondre Stevenson, RB | Knee | Limited (up from DNP) | To be decided |
| Patriots | A.J. Brown, WR | Ankle, knee | Limited | To be decided |
| Patriots | Cameron Latu, TE | Back | Limited (up from DNP) | To be decided |
| Patriots | Walter Rouse, OT | Concussion protocol | Limited (up from DNP) | To be decided |
| Patriots | Brenden Schooler, S | Hamstring | Limited (up from DNP) | To be decided |
| Patriots | Drake Maye, QB | Right shoulder | Full | To be decided |
| Lions | Kerby Joseph, S | Knee | Full | Out, not traveling |
| Lions | Cade Mays, C | Ankle | DNP | Out, not traveling |
| Lions | D.J. Reed, CB | Hip | DNP | Out, not traveling |
| Lions | Sione Vaki, RB | Ankle | DNP | To be decided |
| Lions | Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR | Rib | Limited | To be decided |
| Lions | Jared Goff, QB | Chest | Full (up from limited) | To be decided |
| Lions | Brian Branch, S | Hip | Full (up from limited) | To be decided |
New England also listed Kevin Byard (chest), Reggie Gilliam (knee), Hunter Henry (foot), Morgan Moses (foot), Greg Van Roten (hamstring) and Charles Woods (hamstring) as limited for a second day. The Lions’ Jacob Saylors (neck, hamstring) and DJ Wonnum (concussion) were full. The Friday reports, with game statuses for everyone else, come out after Friday’s practices in Munich.
Six buses to Säbener Straße
The Patriots got to work six and a half hours after landing. They arrived at FC Bayern’s training ground in six buses, and the session started at 4:15 p.m. local time (5:15 p.m. in Cairo) on the pitch outside the Bayern locker room, where the soccer goals had been swapped for football goalposts the day before. Mike Vrabel was the first one on the grass, Maye led the team out, and the players warmed up in three groups. German reporters watching the open part of practice noticed Lorenz Metz, the practice-squad tackle from nearby Neuötting, leading the group of offensive linemen in drills.
The Patriots’ first practice at FC Bayern’s training ground. Photos by the Patriots.
A.J. Brown, back from ankle and knee injuries, practiced, and Stevenson worked off to the side during the part of the session that reporters could see. Vrabel had planned Thursday as a lighter, walkthrough-style day after the overnight flight, with the bigger session on Friday, 48 hours before kickoff.
The Patriots’ first day in Germany. Video by the Patriots.
Maye: “We are out here to win a game”
Earlier in the week there were reports that Stevenson could miss several weeks with a tendon injury behind his knee. Asked about him being at practice, Maye started with the reporters. “I think that’s just, speaks to, you know, first off, the media not really knowing 100 percent what they’re talking about a lot of the time,” he said. “He’s a guy that wants to be out there, you know, wants to be back for his team, and that’s what we’re in the midst of trying to make a run here and win a big one before the bye.”
The Patriots are 5–4 after a 45–27 loss in Green Bay, a year after they reached the Super Bowl. “It’s the NFL, it’s a high-pressure business, it’s a high-pressure sport,” Maye said. “So, I think there’s pressure to play well every Sunday and to come out with a win.” He has played in London but never in Germany, and he said he had heard that the crowd and the atmosphere at the Patriots’ 2023 game in Frankfurt were fantastic. Seeing how many Patriots fans there are in Germany, he said, is what he is looking forward to most.
Maye was also asked about Harry Kane, the Bayern striker and longtime Patriots fan who has talked for years about trying to become an NFL kicker. Kane recently became the first Englishman in 25 years to win the Ballon d’Or and has just signed a new Bayern contract through 2029. “It would be cool to see him try,” Maye said. “He’s dealt with pressure, that’s one of the biggest things about kicking in the National Football League is the pressure of it. He does that for a living. So, I don’t think he’d have any problem. I think I’ve seen him maybe kick a few, and he looked pretty good.” Hunter Henry admitted he does not know much about soccer, but he knew the name: “He’s a dawg — lot of respect for Harry Kane.”
Barry Sanders taps the keg
The Lions themselves were still in Allen Park on Thursday, but their fans had already filled the Hofbräuhaus, the team’s official pub for the week. On Thursday Barry Sanders walked into the beer hall to chants of “Barry! Barry! Barry!”, and with help from a staff member he swung the wooden mallet to tap a custom Lions keg. Calvin Johnson joined him afterward, and the two Hall of Famers handed out Munich Lions mugs. Later in the evening, the Lions’ account reported fans in the hall chanting Goff’s name.
Barry Sanders taps the keg at the Hofbräuhaus. Video by the Lions.
The team practiced in Allen Park on Thursday and was scheduled to fly overnight after the session, landing in Munich on Friday about 48 hours before kickoff. Campbell described the plan to Detroit radio earlier in the week: “We’re gonna take a shower. We’re gonna jump on this freaking plane. We’re gonna take a nap, and then we’re going to wake up, we’re going to meet and we’re going to walk through red zone practice.”
A wedding dress in two teams’ colors
The Hofbräuhaus also hosted the league’s first fashion show in Europe on Thursday morning, the NFL Runway Munich, with streetwear, retro looks and custom pieces. The show closed with a wedding dress made from jerseys of the two teams playing on Sunday.
The wedding dress at the NFL Runway Munich. Video by NFL Deutschland.
Friday in Munich
| Event | Munich | ET | Cairo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots practice, Säbener Straße (closed) | 12:30 p.m. | 6:30 a.m. | 1:30 p.m. |
| Dan Campbell press conference | 3:00 p.m. | 9:00 a.m. | 4:00 p.m. |
| Lions practice, Bayern youth campus (closed) | 3:30 p.m. | 9:30 a.m. | 4:30 p.m. |
| Lions Fan Fest, Odeonsplatz | 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. | 5:00 a.m.–noon | noon–7:00 p.m. |
| Kevin Saunderson at the Fan Fest | 5:00 p.m. | 11:00 a.m. | 6:00 p.m. |
| Patriots Haus, Tal 12 (program 6–7 p.m.) | 11:00 a.m.–1:00 a.m. | 5:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. | noon–2:00 a.m. |
Friday is the first day of the Lions’ Fan Fest at Odeonsplatz, where the Detroit techno pioneer Kevin Saunderson plays on Friday and Big Sean on Saturday, and of the Patriots Haus in the old town, where entry is free. Vrabel speaks to reporters before the Patriots’ last full practice. The full list of the week’s fan events is in our Munich “Novemberfest” fan map, and Wednesday’s reports are in day two.
The Patriots hold the AFC’s No. 7 seed and have their bye after Munich. The Lions are 6–2 and go home to face the Buccaneers and then the Bears on Thanksgiving.
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