Patriots host Packers in Week 9 clash of 5-3 teams
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The gist
The 5-3 New England Patriots host the 5-3 Green Bay Packers at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
Both teams sit at No. 7 in their conferences, making this a measuring-stick game.
Background
The Patriots are New England's NFL team, coached by Mike Vrabel and quarterbacked by Drake Maye, who described as at least on the fringe of the MVP discussion near the season's midway point. The Packers, quarterbacked by Jordan Love (also on that fringe), come to Foxborough with the same 5-3 record. The matchup was circled in the preseason as Green Bay versus the reigning AFC champion Patriots, and FOX made it its national "America's Game of the Week" broadcast.
How it unfolded
- Nov 3, 2026Patriots registered a season-high 5 sacks in their Week 8 win over Miami.
- Nov 4, 2026Patriots preview notes: a win over Green Bay would give New England a 4-0 home record, its best home start since winning its first five home games in 2019.
- Nov 7, 2026Rob Gronkowski's Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held, streamed live on Patriots.com.
- Nov 8, 2026Packers (5-3) at Patriots (5-3), Week 9, 4:25 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on FOX.
- Nov 8, 2026Patriots ruled out WR A.J. Brown and RB TreVeyon Henderson; TE Hunter Henry is questionable. New England activated WR Mack Hollins to the 53-man roster.
Key terms
- MVP
- An annual NBA award given to the best-performing player of the regular season.
- AFC
- One of the two conferences of the National Football League, made up of 16 teams in four divisions.
- 53-man roster
- A group of players signed by a gridiron football team but not on the main roster, used for practice and player development.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said of facing Green Bay: "We're going to have to find ways to affect the quarterback."