NFL: Detroit Lions fire head coach Matt Patricia, GM Bob Quinn

The Detroit Lions fired head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn on Saturday, two days after the team was demolished 41-25 by the Houston Texans on Thanksgiving and fell to 4-7 this season.

Lions relieved HC Matt Patricia and GM Bob Quinn of their duties.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 28, 2020

Patricia was in his third season with Detroit. He was a hot commodity on the coaching market when he was hired by the Lions in 2018 after he'd spent six seasons as the New England Patriots' defensive coordinator and won three Super Bowl championships as part of the Patriots' staff.

The Lions weren't bad under previous head coach Jim Caldwell, but the franchise had yet to get over the hump and become a true Super Bowl contender. Patricia and his Patriots pedigree was expected to bring the Lions to the next level.

In a little more than two and a half seasons in Detroit, Patricia had certainly not lived up to those lofty expectations. The Lions went 6-10 in his first season, 3-12-1 last season, and are currently 4th place in the NFC North after losing four of its last five games.

In total, Patricia's win percentage was just .314 with the Lions.

General manager Bob Quinn had been with the Lions organization since 2016, after serving as Director of Pro Scouting with the Patriots. Quinn was noted for helping New England bring in help for superstar quarterback Tom Brady and helping Belichick put together his consistently top-tier defense.

Quinn was the one who fired Caldwell, the coach who had guided Detroit to the playoffs twice in his four seasons at the helm.

The Lions have had 16 men coach the team for 10+ games since 1957.NONE OF THEM have a higher win percentage than Jim Caldwell (.563).Jim Caldwell was let go to hire Matt Patricia (.321 win %) pic.twitter.com/a6KJismfus

— NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) November 23, 2020

Considering how Quinn and Patricia had worked together for several years under Patriots' head coach Bill Belichick, it made sense why Quinn offered the position to Patricia in 2018. But many fans were skeptical from the start of the season about his ability to coach the Lions despite having some young talent on the roster.

Who will take over for the Detroit Lions?

For now, Lions offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will be the interim head coach. It's unclear who will take up the general manager's duties.

This is the NFL's third in-season head coach firing of 2020. The previous coaches to lose their jobs are Bill O'Brien and Dan Quinn, who were relieved by the Texans and Atlanta Falcons, respectively.

The Lions have even more work on their plate this coming offseason and it will be interesting to see who becomes the next head coach.