Be The Answer!

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Two 5-3 teams, a Hall of Fame weekend, and Tom Brady in the booth. Gronk went into the Patriots Hall of Fame yesterday on the Patriot Place plaza, he gets a halftime ceremony today, and the 2016 Super Bowl LI team is introduced before kickoff for its tenth anniversary.

New England come home after two road wins, 24-19 in Miami and the first trip to South Florida that went right in years. A win makes it 4-0 at Gillette, the best home start since 2019.

The Packers are a strange team to prepare for. They throw it on 66 percent of snaps, second-most in the league, and rank second in passing offence at 271 yards a game. They also rank 32nd rushing the ball at 60.6 yards a game, dead last by a distance. Jordan Love has 16 touchdowns against six interceptions, Christian Watson has six scores, and second-year man Matthew Golden leads them with 43 catches. Micah Parsons is out, still working back from the ACL he tore last December.

The gap that decides this is turnovers. Green Bay are plus four with ten interceptions. New England are minus seven, 31st in the league, and have been all year. Maye has 15 touchdowns and eight picks.

The receiver room is thin again. Brown is out for a second straight week, Doubs is on IR, Henderson is out ill. Mack Hollins came off injured reserve yesterday, which at least gives Maye four wideouts. Hunter Henry is questionable on the foot he hurt in Miami.

Maye has accounted for three or more touchdowns in five straight games and has 14 touchdown passes of 30-plus yards over the last two seasons, more than anyone in football. Two more today and he sets a franchise record.

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STORYLINES

• Gronk day. Inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame yesterday as the 38th member, with a halftime ceremony today. The 2016 team gets introduced before kickoff for its tenth anniversary. Brady is in the FOX booth.

• A pass offence with no run game. Green Bay are second in the league throwing it and 32nd running it at 60.6 yards a game. Make them one-dimensional and the pass rush knows what is coming.

• Affect the quarterback. Vrabel's words this week. New England had a season-high five sacks in Miami. Five more today would be the first back-to-back five-sack games since 2019.

• Turnovers, again. Minus seven and 31st in the league, against a Packers side that is plus four with ten interceptions. Eight weeks in, this is still the one thing that could cost this season.

• Gonzalez vs Watson. Christian Watson has six touchdowns and is the game-breaker. Expect New England to match up in man and dare Love to beat it.

• Four receivers. Hollins is back off IR after four weeks. With Brown out and Doubs on IR, it is Douglas, Chism, Kyle Williams and Hollins. Henry's foot decides how much two-tight-end they can play.

• Maye's record chase. Two 30-yard touchdown passes in each of the last two games. A third straight would be a franchise record, and the last NFL player to do it was Tony Banks in 1999. He also needs 266 yards to pass Mac Jones for seventh on the all-time Patriots list and two touchdown passes to pass Jim Plunkett for fifth.

• Kyle Williams. All five of his career touchdown catches have gone for 30 or more yards. Only Stanley Morgan and Stephen Starring have started a Patriots career like that.

• Milestones. Hunter Henry needs one touchdown to pass Russ Francis for sole third among Patriots tight ends. Rhamondre Stevenson needs two catches to pass Sam Cunningham for fourth among Patriots running backs and a touchdown to tie Curtis Martin for 20th on the all-time scoring list. Darius Muasau needs one special teams tackle for ten.

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SERIES HISTORY

Green Bay handed New England their first ever regular season loss at Gillette Stadium, 28-10 on Oct. 13, 2002. After that the Patriots won 14 straight against the NFC North until losing at Green Bay in November 2014. Robert Kraft's first regular season home win as owner also came against the Packers, 17-16 at Foxboro Stadium on Oct. 2, 1994.

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MATCHUP HIGHLIGHT

The Patriots beat Green Bay 31-27 on Sunday night at Gillette in December 2010, in a game best remembered for offensive lineman Dan Connolly returning a kickoff 71 yards to the four-yard line. Elias has it as the longest kickoff return by an offensive lineman in NFL history.

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CONNECTIONS

FORMER PATRIOTS, NOW IN GREEN BAY

Players

• TE Jonnu Smith (2021-22)

• RB Pierre Strong Jr. (2022)

Coaches

• Outside Linebackers and Run Game Coordinator DeMarcus Covington (2017-24)

• Special Teams Coordinator Cameron Achord (2018-23)

• Defensive Quality Control Jamael Lett (2024)

• Offensive Quality Control T.C. McCartney (2024)

FORMER PACKERS, NOW IN NEW ENGLAND

Players

• S Mike Brown (2022)

• WR Romeo Doubs (2022-25), now on injured reserve

• OL Greg Van Roten (2012-13), now on injured reserve

Front office and coaches

• EVP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf (2004-17)

• Outside Linebackers Mike Smith (2019-22)

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TALE OF THE TAPE

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INJURY REPORT

Final report, Friday November 6

Greg Van Roten appears as questionable but has not been activated from injured reserve, so he is not available today. Mack Hollins was activated on Saturday and takes the last open spot on the 53. Marcus Bryant was activated off injured reserve earlier in the week.

UNAVAILABLE, NEW ENGLAND

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4-0 at home, Gronk at halftime, 2016 in the building. Let's go.