It was a win that made Lions head coach Dan Campbell smile and praise his pride for how he responded to injuries and demonstrated his perseverance.

In many ways, it was a game emblematic of Patrick’s recent NFL journey, which had not seen a touchdown since Week 15 of the 2021 season at the Denver Broncos.

“Today seemed to be his day, down there safely in the red zone,” said Lions quarterback Jared Goff, who did everything he could to make sure Patrick got the ball for his first touchdown. “And he’s been so consistent since he’s gotten this far, being unselfish, blocking, doing everything right, and he hasn’t gotten a touchdown. What week are we, 14, 15, whatever? Didn’t get a touchdown.” To date, I’ve 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 ended up with the Broncos. He was with the Broncos from 2017 until this past offseason and played his first official NFL game in 2018. He worked his way up to starter and posted back-to-back 700-yard receiving seasons in 2020 and 2021.

He had done it. And then disaster struck in the form of a torn ACL he suffered in training camp ahead of a 2022 season that he would miss entirely. Patrick recovered and came back, only to suffer a torn Achilles tendon in camp before the 2023 season, in which he would also never suffer a loss.

This year, Patrick made it through training camp and delivered a promising preseason, seemingly building an on-field rapport with rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Still, his career took another hit when he was released by the Broncos. He quickly landed in Detroit and became a member of the team’s practice squad.

“What a great addition he has been, and he continues to play for us in the running game and the passing game,” Campbell said. “I made it big here. Man, we’re talking about catching a knife like you catch it, turn around and run. Catch it, stick it in, turn around and run. If you can only get five, you have to get us. If you can only get seven, you have to give us eight. And man, he did it multiple times and threw the two big touchdowns for us. He was an incredible asset. “

Before Thursday night, Patrick had seen action in 11 of Detroit’s first 12 games with five starts, 21 receptions and 306 yards. However, the end zone had eluded him.

That changed in the third quarter when the Lions suddenly found themselves behind 21-17 for the first time all night. Facing fourth-and-goal, Campbell went for it, and Patrick picked him off and took a 3-yard laser from Goff for six.

Green Bay responded with a long shot on goal to retake the lead, but the Goff-Patrick connection had not yet been made.