The New England Patriots have a big opportunity ahead of themselves against one of the NFC’s top teams this Sunday when they welcome the Green Bay Packers to Gillette Stadium.
At 5-3, both teams enter Sunday looking to keep pace in competitive divisions while strengthening their respective position in the playoff picture. For the Patriots, it also presents a chance to prove they can compete against a quality opponent from the other conference.
“This is a big game for us. This is a huge game,” captain
Kevin Byard said. “To be real, we haven’t beat an NFC team just yet. This is going to be a huge challenge for us as a team. I almost want to say a measuring stick game.”
The similarities between the two teams extend beyond their records, making Sunday’s matchup a significant test for a Patriots team looking to establish itself as a legitimate playoff contender.
“Both these teams are trying to keep pace with the other teams in the division,” Byard said. “So, I think both coaches preaching the same thing. This is, I’m not going to call it a must win, but we need to get this win at home and we’ve been really good at home at Gillette, so we got to keep that going.”
Quarterback Drake Maye sees it similarly.
“For sure. It’s a playoff team from last year. A playoff team with a great defense, a really good offense, a good quarterback,” Maye said. “Then, for us, it’s another NFC North opponent that’s been someone that we don’t play very often, but has been historically, in the past couple years, a playoff football team. They’re good, they’ve beaten good teams, and they continue to show up every year. We’ve definitely got a challenge and a chance to see how we look.”
Green Bay presents a difficult challenge on both sides of the ball. Despite an offense that ranks in the bottom 10 in points per game (21.4), the Packers have shown an ability to generate explosive plays through the air. They lead the league in pass plays of 20 or more yards, with quarterback Jordan Love continuing to push the ball downfield to explosive pass catchers in Christian Watson and Matthew Golden.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel then noted that Green Bay’s defense has generated the second-most negative plays in the league, while a league-high 17% of its drives have ended in a turnover.
While Byard stopped short of calling the game a must-win, outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones made it clear that the Patriots understand the importance of continuing to stack victories. With 10 AFC teams currently holding at least four wins, there is little room for the Patriots to let opportunities slip away.
“We need to win,” Jones said. “I mean, we got to win to stack up W’s in that column so we can figure out where we’re going to be when it comes January and February, hopefully.”
