After up-and-down starts to their seasons, New England and Detroit are headed to Bavaria this weekend for Novemberfest.
The NFL’s return to Munich for a third game — after last year’s Germany tilt took place in Berlin — pits two of the NFL’s top quarterbacks, piloting playoff contenders with plenty to prove heading into the second half of the 2026 season.
Jared Goff‘s Lions have returned to form in 2026 after missing the playoffs last year, dropping just two of their first eight games while fielding another top-five offense. But it hasn’t been easy sledding for Dan Campbell’s Detroit side. The injury-riddled defense has been a feast-or-famine outfit, worst in the NFL in defending the pass but top three in sacks. The unit is improving, having returned Brian Branch and just acquired Andre Cisco to shore up the secondary, though it sorely misses Jack Campbell, who continues to recover from a neck injury suffered in Week 8.
The Patriots are dealing with a slew of notable injuries of their own amid a midseason slump, but they are slowly getting healthier. New England has lost two of its last three — scraping by Miami in the lone win — falling multiple games behind Buffalo in the AFC East. Ahead of a Week 11 bye, the Pats are hoping an international trip will set them up for a late-season surge as they sit on the edge of the wild-card race. New England can become the fourth franchise with at least four international wins with a victory Sunday.
Both Detroit and New England are among the NFL clubs who boast marketing rights in Germany, making this weekend’s meeting a battle for hearts and minds among Deutsche fans.
At the home of perennial Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, can either the Lions or Patriots stake a claim as a legitimate title contender?
