Jordan Love threw for 372 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a fourth, Christian Watson and Matthew Golden both topped 160 receiving yards, and the Green Bay Packers turned four New England turnovers into 21 points in a 45-27 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday, November 8, at Gillette Stadium.
Green Bay improves to 6-3 with its fifth win in six games and never trailed. New England drops to 5-4. The Packers had not scored 45 or more points with 450 or more yards in the same game since November 11, 1962, at Philadelphia, and the Patriots had not allowed 45 in a regular-season game since a 45-7 loss to the Jets in 1993. No opponent had ever scored that many at Gillette Stadium, which opened in 2002.
Turnovers set the tone early
The Patriots celebrated the 10th anniversary of their Super Bowl 51 comeback before kickoff, but the energy faded fast. After a penalty on the first snap, Drake Maye threw into traffic and safety Xavier McKinney intercepted him at the New England 14. Two plays later Love scrambled 13 yards for a touchdown. On the next Green Bay drive Love hit Golden for a 5-yard score, and Trey Smack’s 41-yard field goal early in the second quarter made it 17-0.
Maye answered with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Rhamondre Stevenson, but McKinney picked him off again and rookie Kaleb Johnson punched in a 2-yard run to make it 24-7. Maye’s 8-yard touchdown to Efton Chism III cut it to 24-14 at halftime. All three of Maye’s interceptions came in the first half, and two of them led directly to Packers touchdowns; Evan Williams had the third on a tipped ball.
Love takes over after halftime
Green Bay opened the third quarter with a seven-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Love’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Savion Williams, with rookie Karon Prunty in coverage after cornerback Carlton Davis III was hurt in the second quarter. Smack kicked a 51-yard field goal, and after Stevenson fumbled, Love found Watson for a 39-yard touchdown and ran in the two-point conversion for a 42-14 lead with 4:10 left in the third.
Maye threw a 22-yard touchdown to Mack Hollins late in the third quarter and Corey Kiner ran 4 yards for a late score, but Smack’s 38-yarder in between kept it out of reach. Love completed three passes of 43 yards or more and seven of at least 28. “Those are low-percentage throws in theory, but he’s making them look high-percentage,” coach Matt LaFleur said. Asked whether he had ever played better, Love said, “It’s definitely up there. It felt great.”
The numbers
- Jordan Love: 23 of 29 for 372 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 153.2 rating, plus a 13-yard rushing touchdown and a two-point run.
- Christian Watson: seven catches for 171 yards and a touchdown. Matthew Golden: 10 catches on 10 targets for 164 yards and a touchdown. They are the first Packers teammates with 150 receiving yards and a touchdown catch in the same game since Don Hutson and Andy Uram in 1942.
- Green Bay ground game: 129 yards on 32 carries from a team that entered the day last in the league at 60.6 rushing yards per game. Kaleb Johnson had 68 yards and a touchdown.
- Drake Maye: 21 of 38 for 299 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions, sacked four times. He had thrown one interception in his previous four games and is now tied for the league lead with 11.
- DeMario Douglas: five catches for 102 yards for New England.
- Defense: McKinney had two interceptions for 38 return yards; Isaiah McDuffie had 10 tackles and a sack. Christian Gonzalez made 10 tackles for the Patriots.
- Team totals: Green Bay 478 yards to 387, 7.5 yards per play, no turnovers and 35:01 time of possession.
What it means
“We got our (butts) kicked. There’s no two ways around it,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said. Maye put the blame on himself: “We haven’t had a clean, a turnover-free game yet. It’s starting with me.” Packers fans in the stands were chanting “MVP!” for Love late in the game.
The win was costly for both sides. Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs left in the first quarter with a broken finger, linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper hurt his chest and receiver Bo Melton was evaluated for a concussion. New England lost Davis and left guard Ben Brown to knee injuries, Stevenson to a knee injury late in the third quarter, special teamer Brenden Schooler to a hamstring injury and left tackle Will Campbell to a knee injury in the fourth quarter.
What comes next
Green Bay hosts the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, November 15. New England travels to Germany to face the Detroit Lions in Munich the same day.
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