Drake Maye, left, and DeMario Douglas of the New England Patriots celebrate a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins during the fourth quarter of the game at Hard Rock Stadium on Nov. 1, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Drake Maye, left, and DeMario Douglas of the New England Patriots celebrate a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins during the fourth quarter of the game at Hard Rock Stadium on Nov. 1, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
This won’t be a cakewalk for the Patriots.
The Patriots have won four of their last five games since starting the season in disappointing fashion with a 1-2 record. Their last three wins, however, have been expected against easier competition, beating the Raiders, Jets and Dolphins.
The Packers are for real, however. They’re 5-3 and enter Gillette Stadium with one of the NFL’s best defenses and a dangerous deep passing game.
Here are 10 questions the Patriots can answer this week.
• Can the Patriots compete over a difficult stretch?
This is the biggest and most important question of the weekend. Yes, the Patriots beat the Steelers and Bills earlier this season, but they’ve lost several key players since those games, and they lost their last difficult matchup to the Bears two weeks ago.
How the Patriots perform Sunday against the Packers, and if they can win, will help dictate how the Patriots are going to perform in an upcoming stretch that features the 5-2 Lions, 6-1 Bills, 6-1 Vikings, 5-2 Chiefs and 6-2 Broncos.
• Can the offense avoid turnovers?
The Packers rank second in the NFL with 15 takeaways and 10 interceptions. Turnovers have been a significant problem for the Patriots’ offense this season, though the issue has been ameliorated in recent weeks.
Drake Maye has thrown just one interception over the last three weeks. That trend has to continue against a ball-hawking Packers secondary.
• Can Drake Maye keep it up with a shorthanded offense?
Maye was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October, and then he started out November strong with a win over the Dolphins.
At some point, the injuries are going to be too great to overcome. Maye will be playing without A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs and TreVeyon Henderson. Hunter Henry couldn’t finish Week 8 with a foot injury, and Mack Hollins is returning from a calf injury.
• Who starts on the offensive line?
The Patriots could see their fifth starting offensive line combination so far this season if the top unit is LT Will Campbell, LG Ben Brown, C Jared Wilson, RG Matt Pryor and Morgan Moses.
Alijah Vera-Tucker, Mike Onwenu, Greg Van Roten and Walter Rouse have also started games this season.
• Will Rhamondre Stevenson wear down?
Stevenson has been one of the Patriots’ best players in recent weeks, but there seems to be a risk of overusing him. He’s on pace for a career high in snaps, and the Patriots don’t have Henderson to spell him.
The Patriots could elect to mix in Corey Kiner and Lan Larison more early in the game.
• Can Eli Raridon bounce back?
The rookie tight end took on a higher share of snaps once Henry left last week’s win over the Dolphins.
Raridon struggled, getting flagged for two false starts while dropping a pass from Maye.
Overall this season, Raridon has been fantastic. If Henry can’t play or is limited on Sunday, Raridon will need to step up as a top target for Maye.
• More man coverage on defense?
This is a good week for the Patriots to mix in more man coverage with Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis both healthy and facing off against Packers wide receivers Christian Watson and Matthew Golden.
The Patriots played zone on 70.3% of Dolphins dropbacks last week, and they were giving up way too many yards to a poor passing attack.
New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez reacts during the second half of an NFL game against the New York Jets in Foxboro. Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper)
New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez reacts during the second half of an NFL game against the New York Jets in Foxboro. Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper)
• Can the pass rush keep it up?
The Patriots had five sacks early in last week’s win over the Dolphins. Defensive tackle Cory Durden and rookie outside linebacker Gabe Jacas led the way with 1.5 sacks each.
Jacas and starting outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones both got banged up and weren’t able to finish the game. Let’s see if they can return and make an impact.
• Can the secondary force a turnover?
Safety Kevin Byard believes the Patriots will have chances at interceptions because Packers QB Jordan Love loves throwing the deep ball.
The Patriots have not been great at taking advantage of potential turnover opportunities. Gonzalez and Davis have yet to intercept a pass this season.
Love has six interceptions this season. The Patriots have to protect against the deep ball and force some errors out of Love.
• Who wins?
I have the Patriots winning this one 24-21. If Maye is able to continue dominating, then it will be tough for the Patriots to lose, especially at home.