America's Game of the Week wasn't the tense shootout Fox hoped when it put Tom Brady back in the booth for a return to Foxborough. The Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots were both 5-3. They both had young, emerging quarterbacks with dynamic deep balls and uneven performances. The potential for an instant classic shootout was high.
In the end only one came to play.
Jordan Love showcased all the qualities that make him an MVP candidate by thoroughly dismantling the Patriots secondary. He threw for 335 yards... to wideouts Christian Watson and Matthew Golden alone. The young veteran's day was done by the early fourth quarter in a 45-27 win that proved the Packers will be, at the very least, an incredible headache in the NFC playoff race.
There were several factors that went into the rout were visiting fans made "go Pack go" chants audible on the broadcast minutes before Rob Gronkowski was celebrated in the Patriots Hall of Fame. Evan Williams and Xavier McKinney led a lights-out defense that forced four turnovers and could be one of the league's best units once Micah Parsons is healthy.
But the bigger deal is what the Green Bay offense can be at the peak of its powers.
Jordan Love didn't back down from the Patriots stars. His young receiving corps stepped up alongside him
Red flags abounded in Green Bay's Week 7 loss to the Detroit Lions. The Packers squandered a chance at a key road win against a division rival thanks in large part to a litany of catchable passes that wound up on the turf. Through eight weeks, his receivers were averaging nearly three drops per game, most in the NFL.
Love made a statement in Week 9. Not only did he trust his wideouts, but he relied on them to beat the league's highest paid cornerback like a rented mule's dusty rug.
OH. MY. GOSH.
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 8, 2026
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/sIjdR4nvd1
The Packers didn't avoid Christian Gonzalez. They exploited him instead. The All-Pro corner was the frequent victim of big throws to Watson and Golden en route to their historic days. These weren't near misses or lucky bounces; Green Bay receivers beat him consistently to get to perfectly placed balls.
Matthew Golden is on pace for 504 receiving yards today
— Christian D'Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) 2026-11-08T22:01:11.259Z
Love threw 14 passes that traveled at least 10 yards downfield in his three quarters of heavy(ish) lifting. He completed 10 (with one throwaway) for 295 yards, a pair of touchdowns and zero interceptions. That's more than 21 yards per attempt and a 153.3 passer rating on what should have been his toughest throws of the day.
Jordan Love is hooping today. the catch isn't going to count, but the pass interference will
— Christian D'Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) 2026-11-08T22:41:41.561Z
The added benefit of those vertical routes is the space it creates. Obviously that's a boon for Tucker Kraft's routes. It also generates single coverage for the latest link in the franchise's neverending chain of mid-round draft pick wideouts to thrive. Just look at this Savion Williams touchdown!
Okay, Savion 👀
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 8, 2026
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/fkmwnEhVSW
But the best example of this may have been a routine third down conversion. On third-and-seven from the Green Bay five-yard line, Watson lined up across from Gonzalez with a safety shaded over the top. Both defenders were prepared for a long vertical route. Instead, Watson snapped off an out-breaker and picked up his 10 easiest yards of the day (in a play I didn't clip, because it's fairly common but still appreciated).
That's the beauty of this offense. Being able to consistently make deep shots work opens up every aspect of the field. Cornerbacks default to turn-and-run mode. The split second of recognition that a short throw is coming creates the space for easy gains. Occasionally, those turn out to be highlights, too!
ball-knowers will recognize this as a serious case of "Allen Robinson hands."which, considering how many goddamn drops this team had vs. Detroit, is a shocking diagnosis
— Christian D'Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) 2026-11-08T22:30:30.219Z
All told, Love turned 29 passes into 372 yards and three touchdowns. This was MVP-caliber play that puts him in the same air as Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen halfway through this season. Sure, it came against a Patriots defense that ranked firmly in the middle of the NFL pack when it came toexpected points added (EPA) allowed, but it was the same tune he'd been singing throughout the 2026 season. There will be mistakes throughout, whether it's drops or the imperfect passer trying to do to much and throwing the dumbest pass you've ever seen about one in 50 tries.
But on Sunday, Green Bay proved it can beat anyone in the NFL. And there may be some unexpected support.
The Packers might be able to run the ball (or maybe that's an outlier)
Green Bay rightfully has little faith in its run game. The Packers had eschewed third-and-short runs for screen passes, play-action or gadget plays multiple times the last few weeks, including late in the second quarter when Savion Williams took a backward pass for a loss of one on third-and-2.
But even with Josh Jacobs sidelined after the first quarter, Green Bay's run game showed signs of life. The savior came from an unlikely place. Kaleb Johnson was the Pittsburgh Steelers' seventh-string running back in the preseason, one year after being the team's third-round draft pick.
He had only 26 carries over the team's first eight games, occasionally breaking free for chunk runs but being largely ineffective. His 32.1 percent success rate (a measurement of the yards gained during a play and how it sets the offense up for first down conversions) ranked dead last among all tailbacks with at least 25 carries.
On Sunday, he posted career highs of 14 carries and 68 rushing yards. The Packers topped 70 rushing yards for only the second time all season and broke the 100 yard barrier for the first. Jacobs gained only five yards on four carries before leaving with a broken finger, but Johnson and Pierre Strong were able to provide a run game that was still below average but wasn't terrible. That's progress!
Kaleb Johnson powers in! What a first half for the @Packers
— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026
GBvsNE on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/dmNuSX6KwF
New England held four of its last five opponents to fewer than 100 rushing yards. Its 3.8 yards allowed per carry ranked 10th in the league. They should have feasted against the Packers but instead let them look like a normal offense.
Getting any kind of clock-burning, tough-yard-getting presence would be vital to the team's postseason success; especially if that means not having to rely on Tucker Kraft on third-and-inches.
dying at Tucker Kraft's visually appealing but roundly ineffective sneak play pirouette
— Christian D'Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) 2026-11-09T00:11:24.655Z
The Packers' top 10 defense created havoc and stopped Drake Maye in his tracks. The offense picked on the league's highest-paid cornerback so savagely it could technically be considered bullying. And now the run game might not be a full-on embarrassment. That could be all Green Bay needs to shake off its postseason malaise under Matt LaFleur.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: The Packers can (sometimes) solve all their problems with Jordan Love deep balls
