Preview: (10/2) NE @ GB
The Packers (2-1) host the Patriots (1-2) on Sunday (4:25p) in Green Bay.
The Packers are missing some key personnel. Some left before the season (WR Davante Adams), some were too injured to suit up for the last game (WR Sammie Watkins), and some exited the last game early with injury (star CB Jaire Alexander). Will they get some players back healthy for the Pats game? Regardless they still have Aaron Rodgers, and he was enough to pull out a win against Tampa Bay.
Now the Packers are looking for another win this Sunday against a Patriots team without QB Mac Jones, who left the Ravens game early with what was later revealed to be a high ankle sprain.
What we learned
The Patriots have some spark. New England played toe-to-toe with the Baltimore Ravens through the first half of last Sunday’s game. It was only in the second half that the wheels came off. Too many Patriot turnovers and too many awe-inspiring marvels from QB Lamar Jackson, a former MVP who is playing for a gargantuan contract.
But hey, silver lining, both the Patriots’ rushing and passing attack had their moments. Once again it took two Patriots RBs to break the 100-yard mark, with Rhamondre Stevenson taking first place over Damien Harris this week. And the would-be #1 WR Devante Parker erupted for 5 chunk catches totaling 156 yards.
The highlight moments came to nothing as the Patriots turned into a turnover machine down the final stretch, eliminating any chance they had to catch up to a comfortable Ravens team. We learned that the Patriots are not ready to compete with a top-level talent like Lamar Jackson. New England couldn’t contain Baltimore, which played well, but came into Foxboro with its own injury report to worry about.
What we’re wondering
Who’s playing QB next Sunday? High ankle sprains have “a range of severity.” Are we talking two games? Four games? More? Tests on Monday will determine the answer.
If Mac Jones can’t play, next man up is QB Brian Hoyer. Rookie Bailey Zappe is likely a distant second option.
Hoyer has the respect of his teammates and coaches, but no one is mistaking him for anything more than a game-managing fill-in. Assistant coach Joe Judge chimed in via the Boston Globe:
“One thing Brian always does is whether it’s practice or in games, he’s always engaged. He’s always ready with a lot of good conversations on the sideline. He’s very engaged looking at the tablets, communicating the sideline things that he may see or things that may come up; that’s always really good. He’s always very, very involved and he’s always ready to take that next snap when he is called on.”
Hoyer’s always looking at the tablets! The masochistic fans who enjoy watching the Patriots short-handed, just to see if HC Bill Belichick can coach his way around the problem, will eagerly anticipate this Sunday’s train wreck against the Packers.
What we’re watching
How will Bill Belichick coach around the talent void at QB? Ideally, you’d shift the offensive focus to the rushing attack. But the Packers just held the Bucs’ Leonard Fournette to 35 yards on the ground. With top Bucs’ WR Mike Evans (suspension) and WR Chris Godwin (injury) out, the Green Bay Packers overloaded their defense to stop the run. It seems like it worked. Will they try a similar strategy with a team that’s missing its top QB rather than its top WRs?
Will any wide receivers thrive in Mac Jones’ absence? We’d like to see WR Devante Parker continue to develop. The Patriots can’t abandon the pass completely, especially if we’re looking at a multiple game absence with the Jones’ injury. Watch for some creative screen pass plays with WRs or RBs coming out of the backfield. Hoyer needs safe, reliable targets to hit.
If the Patriots can manufacture enough offense to keep it close (like the Ravens game), and not shoot themselves in the foot with turnovers (like the Ravens game), then maybe defensive or special teams magic can push New England over the top.
As for the Green Bay Packers, watch for them to play conservative with a strong rushing attack featuring RB Aaron Jones and Boston College’s AJ Dillon. There’s no reason to risk too many long balls against a Hoyer-led Patriots.
For Boston Fans
WATCH: Boston, Mass. WBZ-TV Ch. 4
LISTEN: 98.5 The Sports Hub
#humpFL #foreverNE #GoPackGo
The New England Patriots (8-9) fell to host Buffalo Bills (13-3) in the final week of the 2022 season.