The Patriots are back at home on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. to face the Green Bay Packers in a marquee midseason matchup between two 5-3 interconference foes.
New England bounced back with a divisional win in Miami after a Thursday night loss in Chicago. It wasn't pretty early on, as the Dolphins grabbed a 13-3 halftime lead, but Drake Maye's near perfect second half ignited a comeback and the Pats held on for their fifth win of the year.
The Patriots continue to battle excessive injuries but are finding ways to win games.
Hunter Henry quickly departed after making two catches against the Dolphins, adding yet another one of Maye's favorite pass catchers to the injury list. His status, along with star wideout A.J. Brown's, remains up in the air, but the offense could get a boost with the potential return of Mack Hollins, who returned to practice this week after an IR stint.
That's good news because the Patriots will need to score points to keep up with Jordan Love and a Packers offense that has struggled to run the ball but has the weaponry for big plays in the passing game. Christian Watson (six TDs) is a game-breaker, while second-year Matthew Golden has made a leap, leading the team with 43 catches and four touchdowns. Tight end Tucker Kraft returned from a 2025 knee injury and ranks third on the team with 35 receptions and three touchdowns.
Their run game ranks 32nd in DVOA and rushing attempts, and traced.[WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?] Featured back Josh Jacobs returned two games ago but has been unable to jumpstart the Packers ground attack.
Add it all up and the Patriots pass defense must be ready to face an aerial assault while the Patriots offense will have to do the same.
Here are this week's 3 to Watch!
1. Pressure Points
The gameplan must start with getting consistent pressure on Love and the Packers passing game. Despite their high-volume passing approach, they rank just 15th in passing DVOA and 12th in EPA-per-dropback.
The answer will start up front, where pass rushers like Milton Williams, Christian Barmore and Elijah Ponder, along with a creative rush plan from defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr, can help force Love into mistakes.
New England is coming off their best four-man pressure game of the season (34.6% per Next Gen Stats), a positive sign that they won't have to rely on sending extra rushers to make Love uncomfortable.
2. Keep Cleaning
On defense, Green Bay is a stout unit that ranks second in takeaways (15), a scary stat when considering the Patriots have the second-most giveaways in the league. But there is some nuance to the numbers when it comes to the matchup.
The Packers 10 interceptions (2nd in the NFL) fuel their takeaways but Drake Maye has cut back on his picked-off passes, with just one in the last four games compared to seven in the first four. He can't afford to regress against a defense that feasts on takeaways.
Ultimately, New England continues to pursue a complete 60-minute effort. The inconsistencies of the last two weeks, first on a short week on the road, then in sloppy conditions against a divisional rival, can be chalked up to some degree to circumstances. Now, back at home in a "measuring stick game" as Kevin Byard III called it, it's time for the 2026 Patriots to stop getting in their own way.
3. Feed off the Energy
It's not just a big game for the Patriots, it's also a huge weekend at Gillette Stadium. Rob Gronkowski will be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame and make an appearance at halftime along with the 2016 championship team being honored. Add Tom Brady calling the game for FOX for the first time at the stadium where he dominated for so long, and the energy in the stadium will be through the roof.
It should be a great back-and-forth game with a Packers team in a competitive NFC North that needs to win, but the crowd and watchful eyes of so many Patriots legends should help give the home team a decided edge.
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