FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots don’t play each other that often.
The most recent time was in 2022, an overtime game at Lambeau Field won by Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers under center during his final season in Green Bay.
In the teams’ most recent matchup in New England in 2018, Tom Brady was on the field playing in his penultimate season with the team.
Sunday’s game between the Packers (5-3) and Patriots (5-3) won’t feature either future Hall of Famer. Rodgers is playing what he’s said is his final NFL season in Pittsburgh, and Brady will be calling his first game in Gillette Stadium as an analyst for Fox Sports.
“I think I’m required contractually to catch up with him at some point,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel joked this week about Brady’s latest return to New England.
But there will be plenty of focus on the quarterbacks that have come behind Rodgers and Brady for their respective former franchises.
Jordan Love appears to be finding his stride in his fourth season as the full-time starter, leading the league in passing yards for a team looking to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
Meanwhile, Drake Maye has recovered from a rough start to account for at least three touchdowns in each of his past five games, leading the Patriots to victories in four of them.
While the Packers enter the game last in the NFL in rushing, averaging only 60.6 yards per game, Love said he isn’t worried about generating offense.
“The run game isn’t where it needs to be, but I think we’ve still been able to kind of adjust and still make plays,” he said. “There’s a lot more out there, but we’ve done a great job just being able to win these games by putting up some points, and that’s what it comes down to.”
Maye said the matchup is certainly a measuring stick opposite a team that like them is trying to keep pace in their division.
“They’re good, they’ve beaten good teams, and they continue to show up every year,” Maye said. “We’ve definitely got a challenge and a chance to see how we look.”
Need to know
Green Bay (5-3) at New England (5-3)
When/where to watch: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, FOX.
Latest odds: Patriots by 3.
Against the spread: Packers 5-3; Patriots 3-4-1.
Last week: Packers beat Panthers 27-19; Patriots beat Dolphins 24-19.
Last meeting: Packers beat Patriots 27-24 on Oct. 2, 2022, in Green Bay.
Series record: Packers lead 7-6.
Matchup to watch
Packers QB Jordan Love vs. Patriots secondary. The Packers quarterback is leading the NFL with 2,246 passing yards (280.8 per game) to go along with 16 touchdown passes (fourth in the NFL). It will be a challenge for a New England secondary that has only four interceptions this season. The Patriots come in allowing 217.3 passing yards per game.
Stats and stuff
— The Packers are attempting to beat the Patriots in New England for the first time since a 28-10 victory in 2002. The Packers have faced the Patriots in New England just twice since, losing 31-27 in 2010 and 31-17 in 2018.
— The Packers average 60.6 yards rushing per game and 2.9 yards per carry to rank last in the NFL in both categories.
— Green Bay has had multiple takeaways in five straight games and has gone 4-1 during that stretch. The Packers have 15 takeaways to rank second in the NFL, behind Tampa Bay’s 16 entering Week 9.
— The Packers had a season-high six sacks in their 27-19 victory over the Carolina Panthers last week. Six different players each had a sack.
— In that Carolina game, Packers LB Ty’Ron Hopper became the first Packer since Charles Woodson in 2009 to have at least three passes defensed, a sack and an interception in the same game.
— Packers WR Christian Watson has 708 yards receiving to rank fourth in the NFL. Matthew Golden has 619 yards receiving to rank seventh entering Week 9.
— Patriots WR Mack Hollins returned to practice this week after going on injured reserve following a calf injury in their Week 4 win at Buffalo.
— The Patriots can improve to 4-0 at home for the first time since they won their first five home games to open the 2019 season.
— New England is coming off a season-high five sacks in last week’s win at Miami. It also hasn’t done that since the 2019 season.
— All five of wide receiver Kyle Williams’ five career touchdown catches have been for at least 30 yards. He is the third Patriots player to have had each of their first five TD receptions cover that distance.
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