Packers–Patriots: Drake Maye tests a defense still waiting on Micah Parsons

The Packers and Patriots meet on Sunday with identical records and very different worries. Green Bay has won four of its last five games behind a defense that has held each of those five opponents to 20 points or fewer, yet it is still without Micah Parsons, who returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since tearing the ACL in his left knee in December 2025. New England, second in the AFC East, leans harder on its quarterback every week: Maye completed 16 of 20 passes in Miami and accounted for all three touchdowns in a rally from 13-3 down at halftime. Sunday is also the Patriots' first game at Gillette Stadium since October 18.

• Competition: NFL 2026 regular season, Week 9.
• Matchup: Green Bay Packers (5-3) at New England Patriots (5-3).
• Kickoff: Sunday, November 8, 4:25 p.m. ET (21:25 UTC).
• Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Green Bay, carried by its defense

The Packers sit fourth in the NFC North, the league's most crowded division, behind Minnesota (6-1), Chicago (6-2) and Detroit (5-2). After wins at Tampa Bay (17-14) and over Chicago (31-7) and Dallas (23-13), they lost 20-17 in Detroit and then beat Carolina 27-19 on Thursday, October 29 — a scheduling quirk that gave them more time to prepare than their opponent.

Jordan Love has 2,246 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions on 61.5% completions. Against Carolina he went 30 of 41 for 288 yards and three scores, but also threw an interception in the end zone, and Green Bay turned it over three times in all. "Late in the game, it wasn't good enough," Love said. Christian Watson remains his main downfield threat, with 708 yards on 42 catches — 16.9 per reception — and six touchdowns. He broke a rib on a 53-yard catch against the Panthers, was taken to a hospital and returned to the game after a CT scan ruled out internal bleeding.

The ground game has been less dependable. Josh Jacobs scored twice against Carolina but managed 39 yards on 21 carries against the league's lowest-ranked run defense. Green Bay is 29th in time of possession.

The strength is on the other side of the ball. The Packers allow 4.7 yards per play, third-best in the NFL, rank third with 10 interceptions and are +4 in turnover differential. They sacked Bryce Young six times. "This defense is really special," safety Javon Bullard said.

New England, increasingly in Maye's hands

The Patriots opened with two losses in three games, including a 35-6 defeat in Jacksonville, and have since won four of five, among them a 29-26 victory in Buffalo. Only the Bills (6-1) are ahead of them in the AFC East. The lone setback in that stretch came in Chicago (30-24).

Maye has thrown for 1,983 yards on 67.1% completions with 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His reads and his legs drive an offense that ranks eighth in yards per game (367.3). In Miami he scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 2-yard run after faking a pitch to Rhamondre Stevenson, and DeMario Douglas put the game away with a 48-yard catch. "We knew that once we settle in and get some drives together, we had a chance of getting some points on the board," Maye said.

The flip side is ball security: New England is −7 in turnover differential, 30th in the league. Stevenson leads the rushing attack with 367 yards on 96 carries, a 3.8 average, and TreVeyon Henderson's absence puts even more of the load on him.

Injuries and availability

Final reports from both teams, Friday, November 6. "Questionable" is the official designation; it does not mean a player is ruled out or confirmed to play.

Green Bay Packers

• Micah Parsons: out — knee; limited in practice all week after his 21-day window to come off the physically unable to perform list opened.
• Zaire Franklin: out — shin; did not practice this week.
• Sean Rhyan: out — ankle.
• Travis Glover: out — knee.
• Josh Whyle: out — concussion.
• Chris Brooks, MarShawn Lloyd and Keisean Nixon: questionable — ankle, knee and shoulder, respectively; all three were limited on Friday.
• Christian Watson: no game designation — rib; limited in practice.
• Aaron Banks: no game designation — knee; limited in practice.

New England Patriots

• A.J. Brown: out — ankle and knee; did not practice this week.
• TreVeyon Henderson: out — illness.
• Hunter Henry: questionable — foot; returned on a limited basis Friday after missing Wednesday and Thursday. He left the Miami game in the second quarter.
• Mack Hollins, Morgan Moses, Brenden Schooler and Greg Van Roten: questionable — calf, foot, hamstring and hamstring; limited on Friday.
• Kevin Byard III and Carlton Davis III: questionable — chest and neck; full practice on Friday.
• Drake Maye: no game designation — right shoulder; full participant all week.

Parsons had already said his conditioning was probably the worst of his career, and the 21-day window pointed to a later return. Green Bay's offensive line is missing two interior players, Rhyan and Glover, with Banks limited. New England plays again without Brown, its top receiver, and could also lose Henry, Maye's usual target in the middle of the field.

What will decide it

Green Bay's interior protection. With Rhyan and Glover out, the Packers are reshuffling the middle of their line against a defense with 22 sacks — the same total as their own. If New England wins those matchups without sending extra rushers, Love will have less time to find Watson downfield.

Maye against a defense that takes the ball away. New England's quarterback has been decisive with his legs and on third down, but his eight interceptions and the team's −7 differential run into Green Bay's +4. Without Franklin in the middle, containing Maye's scrambles will demand discipline from the linebackers and the defensive front.

Who catches the ball without Brown. Douglas leads New England with 332 yards and four touchdowns, and Kyle Williams scored in Miami on a 43-yard catch that stood after Mike Vrabel's challenge. If Henry can't go, the Patriots would need those receivers to win on their own against a secondary that has forced 10 interceptions.

Sunday will have a hometown flavor as well: former tight end Rob Gronkowski, who enters the Patriots Hall of Fame on Saturday, will be recognized at halftime, and Tom Brady will call the game for FOX in the stadium of the team he won six Super Bowls with.

How to watch Packers–Patriots

• Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough.
• Date and time: Sunday, November 8, 4:25 p.m. ET / 3:25 p.m. CT.

United States — Sunday, Nov. 8, 4:25 p.m. ET / 1:25 p.m. PT

• TV: FOX, in the markets shown on its regional coverage map, with Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady in the booth and Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi on the sidelines; WFXT Channel 25 in Boston.
• Streaming: NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube and YouTube TV for out-of-market viewers; NFL+ and the FOX Sports app in local markets only.

United Kingdom — Sunday, Nov. 8, 9:25 p.m. GMT

• TV: Sky Sports NFL and Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage from 9:15 p.m.
• Streaming: NFL Game Pass International on DAZN is subject to blackout restrictions in the UK during the regular season, according to the Patriots.

Australia — Monday, Nov. 9, 8:25 a.m. AEDT (Sydney and Melbourne); 7:25 a.m. AEST (Brisbane); 5:25 a.m. AWST (Perth)

• TV: broadcast not yet announced for this game.
• Streaming: NFL Game Pass International on DAZN, subject to the service's terms in Australia.

Green Bay has gotten this far without Parsons thanks to a defense that has kept every recent opponent under 21 points; New England, thanks to a quarterback who keeps rescuing games his team complicates. Foxborough will show which formula holds up better against the other.