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After having crushed the Lions endlessly for the better part of two years, it turns out I haven't been harsh enough. EPR has them four spots lower than I do. Matt Patricia inherited a team that had gone 9-7 in back-to-back seasons. In two-plus seasons with Patricia, the Lions are 10-25-1.

"When I came to Detroit there was a lot of work to do, that's what we're trying to do," Patricia said after the Lions' loss to the Saints ...

The Saints were playing without Michael Thomas and Jared Cook, yet they went up and down the field for five consecutive touchdown drives in the heart of the game. The Lions were plagued by poor tackling and looked generally lifeless and uninspired after building a 14-0 lead.

The defense isn't close to being good enough. The Matt Patricia watch is back on after the home loss to the Saints.

Sure, Matt Patricia, "there was a lot of work to do" in Detroit. And now there's a lot of damage control to do and a lot of winning to do ... if you want to do a lot more work in 2021.

FPI chance to make playoffs: 5.1%

The Lions are in a bad place at the moment at 1-3 heading into their bye. They're unable to stop the run, and they have a largely invisible pass rush and an offense with major inconsistencies. Detroit's biggest hope is its October and November schedule, which features only one team (Indianapolis) with a winning record through four weeks. If Detroit can capitalize, it has a chance of being able to play games that matter in December. But the Lions have to improve a lot -- a lot -- between now and then for that to happen. -- Michael Rothstein

The Lions are the first team since the 2011 Vikings to lose three of their first four games after holding double-digit leads in each of those defeats. On Sunday, they jumped out to a 14-0 lead over the Saints before surrendering five consecutive touchdown drives in an eventual 35-29 loss. It's rinse-and-repeat in the Matt Patricia era. He is now 10-25-1 in his time in Detroit, and we've officially reached the stage where postgame availabilities with players are peppered with questions about the head coach's viability in the big chair. The Lions are on their bye week, and if management wanted to make a change, it probably would have happened already. Patricia still has time to save his job ... but the sands are slipping through the hourglass.