The New England Patriots have plenty to clean up before their Week 10 game against the Detroit Lions in Munich.

Mike Vrabel's group was outclassed at home by the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Drake Maye threw three interceptions in the 45-27 loss, while Christian Gonzalez-led secondary allowed Packers wide receivers Christian Watson and Matthew Golden to combine for 17 catches, 335 yards, and two touchdowns.

It won't get much easier for the 5-4 Pats when they take on the 6-2 Detroit Lions in Germany. Already down several key players due to injuries, they will now be without starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson (knee) for the foreseeable future. Maye will again have to find a way to push the ball downfield without his primary weapons, and he struggled mightily to do just that in the loss to Green Bay.

Before we turn the page to Sunday morning's game vs. Detroit, it's time to answer some of your mailbag questions. Let's jump in...

Editor's note: Questions have been lightly edited for clarity.

"Did Eliot Wolf take Tuesday off?" - @Bumps04

We tried to tell you, Bumps. 

For weeks, the Patriots approach around the trade deadline never really shifted. They weren't giving away real draft capital, and they weren't adding real money. They did that in the offseason with their acquisition of A.J. Brown. Giving away a Day 1 or Day 2 pick to add to a team that is not playing as though it warrants that kind of investment -- despite being in the hunt at 5-4 -- would have been misguided.

They kicked tires on players for their defensive front and, according to our pal Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, entertained conversations about dealing away veteran defensive contributors Christian Barmore and Carlton Davis. But nothing materialized, and even early on in the day on Tuesday, it seemed clear the Patriots were destined to have a very (very) quiet deadline.

On the bright side for Patriots fans? Seems as though none of the team's players informed Mike Vrabel they didn't want to be in Foxboro ahead of the deadline, something he asked for on WEEI Monday morning if there were any malcontents in the locker room.

"Is Drake Maye’s confidence in his receivers the main factor in his poor play at times?" - @BostAngeles

I certainly think that could be a factor when considering his spate of turnovers against the Packers. It's hard sometimes to parse between "excuses" and "reasons," but when you're without your two best ball-winners on the outside, then trusting what's around you -- and trusting that good outcomes await when throwing to certain portions of the field -- might be difficult. 

I think, for the most part, Drake Maye is actually a fairly trusting quarterback. He targeted young and relatively unproven wideouts Kyle Williams and Efton Chism late in a win in Buffalo earlier this season, for example. But he'd be only human if (even subconsciously) he's a little more tentative throwing to folks not named A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs or Hunter Henry.

I'd look at the second interception Sunday as one where perhaps he just didn't trust it for some reason.

Had Maye thrown to Eli Raridon over the middle a little sooner, or a little firmer, that's likely a catch. But was the fact that it was a rookie tight end streaking across the field a reason for Maye's hesitation? On the outside, Williams ran a post, but he did so at something less than full speed. Packers safety Xavier McKinney was unbothered by Williams' route and jumped Raridon's. Maye might've had Williams for a touchdown had he waited a moment longer, but did Williams' drop deep down the field in the first quarter -- followed by a pick on a contested target sent Williams' way in the second -- cause Maye not to consider it?

Not all picks are created equal, of course. On the second, I didn't hate the decision. It was a little underthrown and the Packers made an excellent play on the ball. You could say never target a tightly-covered Williams because his physical stature simply isn't the same as a more traditionally-built "X." But you take a quarterback like Maye in the top-five because he has the ability (and willingness) to put the football into tight windows. 

On the first interception, I think McKinney did an excellent job of sort of taking away two reads with excellent positioning. Maye held the ball to get a little more clarity, thought McKinney was running with Kyle Williams' post, then threw when Mack Hollins thought a scramble drill was on. It was a poor decision because Maye likely would've been able to run for a few yards to try to make it a third-and-manageable situation, as opposed to throwing it back across the field and across his body. But that's a really good play by a really good safety to muddy the read for Maye. 

Bottom line: It's not all about Maye not trusting what's around him. He needs to make better decisions, and he can afford to be more accurate with the football on some of these recent picks. But it's not a stretch to say getting his best players back could also help him to settle in and lead to more consistent outcomes.

"Who are our starting RBs this week?" - @DonWaun8

Corey Kiner has been pretty effective with the carries he's been given, Don. It'll be a different animal if he's asked to be the top guy on the depth chart (season-high 11 carries against the Jets). But to this point, he's averaging 4.9 yards per attempt, which is seventh among backs with at least 50 carries. His 3.52 yards after contact per carry figure is 11th. The Patriots trust him and he's making good on that trust with the work he's been given. 

It's the runner the Patriots turn to after Kiner that I'm not sure about. Lan Larison is the one on the active roster. He's a special-teams contributor, but he got just one carry and saw one target in garbage time last weekend. Prior to that, he saw back-to-back carries -- totaling six yards -- in Miami in Week 8, but he saw no work as a rusher after that. The Patriots could elevate Terrell Jennings to play him in Germany if they want another runner in uniform with some experience in the Patriots offense.

"What’s your (amended) projection for their season record?" - @cwarn89

Good question. I'm still holding to my official 10-7 prediction. Officially. But, between you and me, given a chance for an unofficial amendment, I think I'd drop them down a game and put them at 9-8. 

The reason I say "I think" is because I'm not sure which team I'm picking this weekend, but I'm leaning toward picking the Lions. I still think -- despite last weekend -- they could beat the Chargers, Vikings, Jets and Dolphins. But if they lose to Detroit, Buffalo, Kansas City and Denver, that could mean they're on the outside looking in when it comes to the postseason.

"What is going on with the secondary, specifically the safeties and the miscommunications? Seems like they took a big step back. Did Byard coming in change how Woodson plays and Hawkins seems to be missed… Zone coverage is a massive issue right now." - @LDWalin

I think the issues on the back end stretch across the secondary. While it's clear Gonzalez didn't play well, which he acknowledged after the game, Kevin Byard told us on Early Edition that he needed to play better. Carlton Davis was beaten deep. Marcus Jones was on the scene for a botched communication near the goal line that led to a touchdown. No one was immune to screwing up.

Let's include the coaches here, too. Because while you're right, their zone-coverage calls are getting gashed (worst quarterback rating allowed in the NFL this season, 112.0), they also just seemed unprepared in given moments. 

When the Packers got to the line quickly and snapped the ball, the Patriots allowed some field-flipping plays. Matthew Golden beat them for 49 yards early. On the play when Davis was beat deep for 43 yards, the Packers went quick at the line again. Can't happen. It may mean that the Patriots need to disguise less pre-snap, but they'd probably rather be vanilla and ready as opposed to exotic and not. Expect the Lions to test them in a similar fashion in Munich.

Another area where the Patriots seemed unprepared? Sudden change. The Packers wanted to take shots after Patriots turnovers, and some had success.

After Drake Maye's second pick, Davis was beat down the sideline by Christian Watson, but Jordan Love underthrew his attempt. After Maye's third pick, the Packers hit an explosive to Matthew Golden for 24 yards. After Rhamondre Stevenson's fumble, the Packers struck for a 39-yard touchdown to Watson.

Maye and the Patriots offense need to stop turning the ball over. Period. But the defense also needs to be prepared to help stop the bleeding against an offense that will take some massive hacks. Again, don't be surprised if the Lions look to take advantage of New England's defense in those sudden-change situations again on Sunday.