It was a win that had Lions head coach Dan Campbell smiling and praising his pride for how it has responded to injuries and exemplified perseverance.
In many ways, it was a game symbolic of Patrick’s recent NFL journey, which hadn’t seen a touchdown since Week 15 of the 2021 season with the Denver Broncos.
“Today seemed like his day, down there certainly in the red zone,” said Lions quarterback Jared Goff, who went out of his way to make sure Patrick got the ball from his first TD. “And he’s been so consistent since he got here as far as unselfish, blocks, does everything right, and he hasn’t gotten a touchdown. What week are we in, 14, 15, whatever it is? Hasn’t gotten a touchdown ’til today, and had two of them. And he deserves it, man, he’s a stud, and I’m so happy he’s on our team.”
An undrafted free agent who began his NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers franchises, Patrick eventually made his way to the Broncos. He was with the Broncos from 2017 through this past offseason, playing his first official NFL game in 2018. He worked his way into becoming a starter, posting back-to-back 700-yard receiving seasons in 2020 and 2021.
He had made it. And then disaster struck in the form of a torn ACL suffered in training camp ahead of a 2022 season he would miss in full. Patrick healed up and came back only to tear his Achilles in camp before a 2023 campaign he would also never play a down in.
This year, Patrick made it through training camp and turned in a promising preseason, seemingly building a rapport on the field with rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Nonetheless, his career took another hit when he was released by the Broncos. He quickly landed in Detroit as a signee to the team’s practice squad.
“What a great addition he’s been, and he just continues to make plays for us in the run game and in the pass game,” Campbell said. “Stepped up big here. Man, we talk about catching a knife, like you make the catch, turn, and run. Catch it, tuck it, turn and run. If you can only get five, you’ve got to get us six. If you can only get seven, you’ve got to get us eight. And man, he did it that multiple times, and he comes up with the two big touchdowns for us. He’s been an unbelievable addition, what a stud.”
Heading into Thursday night, Patrick had seen action in 11 of Detroit’s first 12 games with five starts, 21 receptions and 306 yards. The end zone had eluded him, though.
That all changed in the third quarter when the Lions were suddenly trailing for the first time all evening, 21-17. Facing fourth-and-goal, Campbell went for it and Patrick picked him up, hauling in a 3-yard laser from Goff for six.
Green Bay answered with a long scoring drive to retake the lead, but the Goff-Patrick connection wasn’t done.