One play at the end of the first drive in Munich took two of the game’s best players out of it. Aidan Hutchinson sacked Drake Maye on third-and-goal, and Maye limped off with an ankle injury. Hutchinson then hurt his right knee when he landed from his sack celebration. Neither player returned to the Lions’ 35-10 win at Allianz Arena, and neither team had a firm answer after the game. Mike Vrabel said Maye will have more tests when the Patriots get back to New England, and Dan Campbell said the Lions will know more about Hutchinson once they get back to the States.
- Patriots: Maye (ankle) was ruled out after the first drive, and Tommy DeVito played the rest of the game
- Lions: Hutchinson (knee) was first called questionable to return and was ruled out in the third quarter
- Patriots: A.J. Brown, who was questionable coming in with ankle and knee injuries, left in the second half with a hamstring injury and was ruled out
- Patriots: right tackle Morgan Moses hurt his knee on the second drive and missed several series before he returned in the first half
- Next: the Patriots have their bye week, and the Lions host the Buccaneers on Nov. 22
Drake Maye will have more tests on his ankle
Maye went 3-of-4 for 48 yards on the opening drive. On third-and-goal, Hutchinson got to him from behind, pulled him down and landed on his lower leg. Maye got up and limped to the sideline, then went to the locker room, and New England kicked a field goal. The Patriots called him questionable to return a few minutes later and ruled him out at about 10:40 a.m. ET.
After the game, Vrabel said the team needs more tests to know how serious it is. Asked what went into ruling Maye out, he said: “That he couldn’t function, couldn’t play, couldn’t run, couldn’t do whatever he needed to do to play quarterback, to protect himself, to execute or function at that level.” When he was asked whether it was a high ankle sprain, Vrabel said he did not know the exact details beyond it being a lower leg injury, and added, “I know he couldn’t go back in.”
The timing gives New England some room. The Patriots are off next week, and Vrabel said his message to the team is that it is “0-0 coming out of the bye.” DeVito, who replaced Maye on the next drive, finished the game.
Was it a hip-drop tackle?
No flag was thrown on the play, and the replay drew questions because Hutchinson came down on Maye’s leg. The league’s officiating rules analyst, Walt Anderson, said through a league spokesman that it was not a hip-drop tackle because Hutchinson did not unweight himself or swivel. It was also not a horse-collar foul, because neither the collar nor the nameplate was grabbed.
Aidan Hutchinson hurt celebrating the sack
Hutchinson leaped in the air after the sack and came down holding his right knee. He walked with trainers to the medical tent and then to the locker room. Detroit first listed him as questionable to return and then ruled him out in the third quarter. He had one sack on nine snaps before he left. Coming into the game he had five sacks and 18 quarterback hits in eight starts.
Campbell did not have an update after the win. “We’ll know more when we get back to the States,” he said. Hutchinson missed 12 games in 2024 after he broke his tibia and fibula, then came back in 2025 with 14.5 sacks, 35 quarterback hits and an interception in 17 games.
A.J. Brown leaves with a hamstring injury
Brown played through ankle and knee injuries that kept him limited all week (see Friday’s injury report). In the second half, the Patriots called him questionable to return with a hamstring injury, and about 12 minutes later they ruled him out. Mike Reiss’s postgame list for New England also included cramps for another player, an illness for linebacker Robert Spillane, and one injury the team did not announce.
Munich game injury list
| Player | Team | Injury | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drake Maye, QB | Patriots | Ankle | Ruled out in 1st quarter; more tests in New England |
| A.J. Brown, WR | Patriots | Hamstring | Ruled out in 2nd half |
| Morgan Moses, RT | Patriots | Knee | Returned in 1st half |
| Robert Spillane, LB | Patriots | Illness | Listed after the game |
| Aidan Hutchinson, DE | Lions | Right knee | Ruled out in 3rd quarter; more tests in Detroit |
What comes next
Both teams fly home on Sunday, so the first test results could come as soon as Monday. New England does not play again until after its bye, which gives Maye two weeks before the next game. Detroit has a short turnaround to the Buccaneers game on Nov. 22, and Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield is dealing with a lower leg injury of his own.
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