The New England Patriots are spending $57.4 million in cash on their cornerback room in 2026, according to Spotrac, leading the NFL in spending at the position by a considerable margin.
Given that investment, that group should be among New England’s most dependable units. The position accounts for 22.8% of the team’s active roster spending.
But that wasn’t the case on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, who marched into Gillette Stadium and handily defeated the Patriots 45-27.
Green Bay’s biggest
weapon in the victory?
It’s wide receivers.
Matthew Golden and Christian Watson each notched career highs in receiving yards, combining for 335 and two touchdowns on 17 receptions. They concluded the game with 164 and 171 yards, respectively.
At the helm of the offense, Packers quarterback Jordan Love completed 23 of his passes, totaling 372 yards and three scores. Just six of his attempts fell incomplete.
New England’s defense gave up six explosive plays of 20 or more yards through the air, which head coach Mike Vrabel referred to as the “X-plays” when speaking with the media.
“Just the X-plays,” Vrabel said. “When you know that [Green Bay] leads the league in X-play passes. And that’s a huge key. That’s the difference in the game.”
Christian Gonzalez, who received a four-year, $135 million contract extension this past summer, was Love’s go-to target in the Patriots’ secondary. And that strategy proved successful.
According to PFF, Gonzalez allowed nine catches on 10 targets for 177 yards and a touchdown.
“When your best players don’t play good, you don’t have much of a chance in this league,” Vrabel said. “So, we expect a lot more. [Gonzalez] expects a lot more. We need more from him and everybody else. It wasn’t just him. Again, we have to be able to coach and be prepared, and then we have to execute.”
The Packers’ air raid began early in the first quarter. From their own 17-yard line, Love connected with Golden on back-to-back passes for 65 yards, moving Green Bay into the red zone. Two plays later, Gonzalez appeared to intercept Love, targeting Golden again, but the Patriots’ 2023 first-round draft selection was flagged for defensive pass interference.
“They did a good job. [Golden] came out and ran good routes … Love was able to get him the ball,” Gonzalez said. “I just have to be able to finish and make those plays … So, it’s not the end of the world. I had a bad game. I’m not shaken up by it. I’m not too worried about it. I’ll move on and be ready for next week.”
Love, now fielding a snap five yards out from the end zone, delivered a touchdown pass to a wide-open Golden after a coverage bust in New England’s secondary. Gonzalez and Marcus Jones, matched with Golden and Watson in a two-receiver set, couldn’t cover Golden’s quick slant as Watson picked both cornerbacks. The two seemingly anticipated Watson running the inside route rather than Golden.
“That’s just on me,” Gonzalez said, taking responsibility for the breakdown. “I need to be better at talking to [Jones] and getting communication to him faster so we can be on the same page.”
Golden totaled 70 yards on that drive before extending the Packers’ lead to 14-0.
Vrabel pointed to contributions on both sides of the ball that helped the Patriots make the matchup competitive before halftime. Trailing 17-0 in the second frame, their defense forced consecutive quick punts before Drake Maye connected with Rhamondre Stevenson for a touchdown to trim the deficit.
However, Green Bay quickly answered with a three-play, 69-yard scoring drive led by Watson’s 43-yard catch that set up Kaleb Johnson’s short rushing score. Despite Carlton Davis being called for another pass interference penalty, Watson still came down with the big gain as safety Kevin Byard, attempting to make a play from the middle of the field, could only watch the play unfold.
“We just didn’t execute enough,” Byard said. “We knew that was going to be the key to the game, eliminating the big play, and we didn’t do good enough today at all. We all have to be better.”
Green Bay’s success on explosive plays continued in the second half. Leading 34-14 nearing the end of the third frame, Love connected deep with Watson again, logging a 39-yard touchdown, capping a one-play series.
New England, dropping to 5-4 on the season, still dealing with a laundry list of injuries, heads to Munich, Germany, to face off against the 6-2 Detroit Lions on Sunday, Nov. 15.
“Of course it upsets you,” Gonzalez said. “We’re competitors. All we do is compete … I know that the team counts on me. I know that the defense counts on me. So, I mean, yeah, it hurts to let them down. But like I said, it’s football … I had a bad game. I’ll watch it and be ready for Detroit.”
