Patriots vs. Lions: 7 Things Bill Belichick Learned from Preseason Matchup

After taking care of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers more than handily through the first two weeks of preseason play, the New England Patriots received a taste of their own medicine against the Detroit Lions.

"We didn't do anything very well. We didn't throw it, didn't catch it, didn't block, didn't tackle, didn't cover, didn't return. It's a long list. Didn't coach."

Those were the words Patriots coach Bill Belichick said to the Associated Press after the loss this past Saturday.

Although it's only preseason and there's still plenty of reason to believe New England is postseason contender this year, there's always things to learn from a game of any kind. Here are the top seven things the the Pats' head coach learned from the Lions game.

Aaron Hernandez Continues to Improve

Aaron Hernandez had an outstanding rookie season for the Patriots last season and has continued to win over New England fans with his preseason play so far.

Hernandez posted five receptions for 46 yards against the Lions and has 156 yards combined over the three games played so far.

After an impressive first year where he was platooned with Rob Gronkowski, Hernandez is making the case for an increase in playing time heading into the new season.

Pass Rush Needs to Improve

With big names such as Shaun Ellis, Andre Carter and Albert Haynesworth coming over to the Patriots this offseason, many believed that the pass-rushing issues were almost solved.

Matthew Stafford went on a personal mission Saturday to prove there's still work that needed done on that front. Using the no-huddle offense early on, the Lions quarterback was able to post 200 yards and two touchdowns with just 12 completed passes.

If it weren't for a Nate Burleson drop, that line would read 200 something yards with three touchdowns.

To be fair, Haynesworth didn't play in this game, and this is only time all preseason a team has posted more than 14 points on the New England defense.

Penalties Need to Be Cut Down

I don't care how good a team you have, if you commit 10 penalties in a game, it's hard to pull out a win.

There's no better time like the preseason to get all the early year jitters, false starts and holds out of the way, but it's still disheartening from a coaching and fans standpoint to see so many flags going one way.

The Patriots have never been notorious for racking up the penalties, so this should just be an outlier for them. At least that's what New Englanders are hoping.

Offense Needs to Play Better on Third Down

The statistics are skewed due to backups and third stringers getting playing time, but 5-of-16 on third down is what most expect out of teams like the early 2000's Detroit Lions, not the Patriots.

With offensive weapons like Julian Edelman, Hernandez, Gronkowski and Chad Ochocinco there's no reason to post an abysmal third-down conversion rate as this team did Saturday.

Injuries Can Hapen at Any Time

Perhaps the biggest news to come out of this game was the injury to Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker after making a tackle following a Tom Brady interception.

Welker stiffened after tackling the Lions' Ricardo Silva, but he was able to walk off the field under his own power.

He told the Boston Herald after the contest, "I'm OK."

Offensive lineman Dan Connolly also left Saturday's game with an injury. Connolly suffered an ankle injury in the first half of play and was unable to return to action.

As of Aug. 29, Bill Belichick has given no updates concerning either players injury.

Chad Ochocinco Still Has Learning to Do

For Patriots fans, perhaps nothing was more exciting this offseason than acquiring Chad Ochocinco from the Cincinnati Bengals for a proverbial bag of peanuts.

The duo of Ochocinco and Terrell Owens had themselves a quietly productive season in 2010, and fans were excited to have another impressive down the field threat to replace Randy Moss.

Ocho has been less than stellar this preseason though, struggling to catch passes from his new quarterback and has showed issues learning his new playbook. In defense of the former Bengal, he's spent his whole career under one system, so there's no reason not to suspect early struggles for him.

New England's newest No. 85 was targeted four times against the Lions and unable to record a catch in the contest.

It's Preseason

With all the things that did go wrong against Detroit this past weekend, the most important thing for Bill Belichick to remember is that the games don't count just yet.

In 2004, Belichick's Patriots went 1-3 in the preseason and went onto win the Super Bowl. The preseason is the best time to find and strengthen the weaknesses found on a team and to teach new players the system.

I don't need to tell that to Coach Belichick. He's got more than his fair share of jewelry to prove he knows how to handle the preseason results.