DETROIT — The first smattering of boos by Detroit Lions fans came late in the first half Thursday night, and it mattered little that it was a meaningless exhibition game.
This was 27 game minutes into Detroit’s 31-3 loss to the New England Patriots in the preseason opener at Ford Field, and the Lions trailed by 20 and were getting bludgeoned.
Outgained 210 yards to 41.
Unable to move the football consistently.
And the play that tipped the scales: A sack by defensive end Derek Rivers, New England’s fifth in only 18 offensive plays by Detroit.