The Green Bay Packers are headed back on the road to face the defending AFC champion New England Patriots in Week 9 action from Gillette Stadium on Sunday. The Super Bowl XXXI rematch features a battle of two impressive quarterbacks and two teams with 5-3 records but big playoff aspirations in 2026.
Here's a closer look at the Patriots entering Week 9:
Last week
On the road in Miami, the Patriots trailed 13-3 at the half before scoring 21 straight points in the second half and finishing out a 24-19 win over Malik Willis, Jeff Hafley and the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Drake Maye threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran in the go-ahead score, all without A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs and Treyveon Henderson available. After a late Willis touchdown pass, the Patriots recovered
the onside kick to secure the win. New England rushed for 131 yards and finished 2-for-2 on fourth down. Maye completed 16 of 20 passes and had a passer rating of 141.5, his second highest rating of the season.
Newcomers
The Patriots revamped the wide receiver core, signing former Packer Romeo Doubs and trading for A.J. Brown, but Doubs is on injured reserve and Brown is battling an injury. Former Vikings draft pick Walter Rouse is the new starting left guard because of injuries. Defensively, the Patriots added veteran Dre'Mont Jones and former Bears safety Kevin Byard to the starting lineup. Veteran Mitch Wishnowsky is the new punter. The draft class provided edge rusher Gabe Jacas and tight end Eli Raridon, who have both been impressive in their respective roles.
Quarterback play
There have been some ups and downs in 2026, but Drake Maye remains one of the NFL's best young quarterbacks, and Sunday will mark the first time he's faced the Packers in his career. Through Week 8, Maye has 15 touchdown passes and eight interceptions, but he's completing over 67 percent of his passes and averaging 8.5 yards per attempt, and his passer rating is at 100.4. Maye has a big arm, isn't afraid to push the ball downfield, will stand tall in the pocket and can scramble if need be. Per PFF, Maye has 15 "big time throws" on attempts of at least 20 yards down the field. He's also scrambled 26 times. With 53 career "turnover worthy plays" in three seasons, Maye has shown to be careless with the ball at times. He is willing to hold the ball and extend plays, sometimes risking a sack but always with eyes on big plays. He will test the Packers' ability to limit explosive plays down the field and contain a good athlete in the pocket on extended plays.
Injury situation
Receiver Romeo Doubs, guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, receiver Mack Hollins, fullback Reggie Gilliam, guard Greg Van Roten and edge rusher Harold Landry are all out while on injury lists. There will be no revenge game for Doubs, who hurt his shoulder on a touchdown catch a few weeks back. Star receiver A.J. Brown is dealing with knee and ankle injuries and didn't play last week. Neither did running back Treyveon Henderson, who was out with an illness. Edge rusher Gabe Jacas and tight end Hunter Henry both left New England's win over the Dolphins and did not return, so the Patriots have several injury situations to monitor to start this week.
Players to know
RB Rhamondre Stevenson: He leads the team with 119 touches; no other player has more than 54. Stevenson has a team-high 367 rushing yards, and his 23 catches rank third. No. 38 is going to see plenty of the ball on Sunday.
Edge rushers Elijah Ponder and Gabe Jacas: Ponder, a 2025 undrafted free agent, has a team-high 30 pressures, while Jacas, a 2026 second-round pick, has 23 pressures. The pair has combined for 9.0 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and 19 quarterback hits in 2026.
WR Demario Douglas: Even with Romeo Doubs and A.J. Brown in New England, Douglas leads the Patriots with 332 receiving yards and four receiving scores. Drake Maye has a 126.1 passer rating when targeting him in the passing game.
LB Christian Elliss: His 26 stops lead the Patriots defense. Elliss has been excellent as a run defender, and he's also produced 11 pressures as a blitzer.
CB Carlton Davis: The former Lion plays opposite Christian Gonzalez. He returned from injury in Week 8 and allowed eight catches for 60 yards against the Dolphins. Gonzalez, meanwhile, has allowed only 175 receiving yards over 223 coverage snaps.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers vs. Patriots: 5 things to know about Green Bay's Week 9 opponent
