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Matt Patricia dubiously defends Lions' struggles during tenure
Is Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia to blame for the team's ongoing struggles? Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Patricia: There was a lot of work to do when I arrived in Detroit

The Detroit Lions moved to 1-3 on the season after a 35-19 Week 4 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Monday. Matt Patricia's squad continued what has become all too common for the club this season -- blowing a double-digit lead. 

Detroit was up 14-0 before giving up 35 straight points to New Orleans. The Lions have now blown double-digit leads in each of their three losses this season. Heading into the bye week, the Lions are now 10-25-1 under Patricia.

The Lions haven't performed well since Patricia arrived in 2018. After two seasons of a losing record, the Lions are headed toward another campaign of disappointment. Fans have begun to question Patricia's fit as the team's head coach, but it appears he doesn't think the team's lack of success is all his fault.

“That’s a hard question,” Patricia said, via Brad Galli of WXYZ. “We just lost to the Saints. Let’s just give them credit for this game, they played extremely well and I know we got a lot of work to do. I think when I came to Detroit, there was a lot of work to do and that’s what we’re trying to do. But, talking about this year, we’re talking about right now, these first four games and obviously today wasn’t good enough.”

In Jim Caldwell's final two years as Detroit's head coach, the Lions went 9-7, but general manager Bob Quinn didn't think the record was good enough, resulting in the hiring of Patricia as his replacement. 

With Patricia's squad headed toward another season of disaster, his job likely is on the line. However, it remains to be seen whether the chairwoman of the Lions, Sheila Ford Hamp, thinks Patricia deserves more time to get the team back on track. 

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