This Sunday, the New England Patriots will look to pick up a road victory at Lambeau field against the Packers. Coming off of a loss to the Ravens last week, the Patriots seem to be getting hit with the injury bug earlier than they would hope this season.
Injury Report
The Patriots had two players yesterday who did not participate in practice. Mac Jones who is expected to be out for the foreseeable future as well as defensive lineman Lawrence Guy with a shoulder injury sustained last week.
Limited participants included S Joshua Bledsoe, OL Yodny Cajuste, DL Davin Gaudchaux, LB Raekwon McMillian, CB Jalen MIlls, and S Adrian Phillips. S/KR Kyle Dugger and WR Jakobi Meyers practiced for the first time since being injured against Pittsburgh. Dugger and Meyers, both with knee injuries, will be huge for the Patriots if they are able to go Sunday.
On the other side of the ball the only Packers who did not practice were offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins and Caleb Jones. Limited participants included ALL-Pro CB Jaire Alexander, All-Pro tackle David Bahktiari, RB AJ Dillon, LB Jonathan Garvin, WR Allen Lazard, TE Mercedes Lewis, and WR Christian Watson.
Green Bay has a few of their key contributors on the limited participant list as well. Alexander, the Packers number one corner, was seen multiple times last week with his helmet off on the sideline against Tampa Bay. Even though he is expected to play this can be a big factor in Sunday’s matchup as Brian Hoyer is expected to make his first start of the season.
Patriot Quarterback Situation
Hoyer, in his third stint with New England, has started in more than six games twice in his career and 39 in total. With the Patriots now trying to tread water until Mac Jones’ hopeful return later in the season, Hoyer will be the guy. With that, Hoyer is also 0-11 in starts dating back to 2016. His last win was October 2, 2016 which will be 8 years ago this Sunday.
The Patriots other option at quarterback is Bailey Zappe, a fourth round pick this past draft. Zappe, who broke the NCAA record for passing yards last year at Western Kentucky, had an up and down pre season for the Patriots. He threw for one touchdown and three interceptions in the three games. With a lack of experience it is unlikely he will see any action this week, but the future remains unknown.
Patriots Need A Big Defensive Game
Even without DeVante Adams, Aaron Rodgers is still finding ways to create offense this season. He currently has a completion rate of 72.3% and has completed a pass to 11 different receivers. Rookie Romeo Doubs has sprouted to be the number one target for the Packers this season. Sammy Watkins, Randall Cobb, Robert Tanyan, and Aaron Jones all have been key players as well.
As well, if Allen Lazard can return to form that is just another threat Rodger can use at his disposal. The Patriots need to continue to have a team attack when defending the pass as they have been one of the top teams all season in that statistic.
Similar Stats
Both teams have almost identical stats through three games. The Patriots are averaging 16.7 points on offense while Green Bay averages 16 even. The Patriots have the passing yards per game edge with 262. Those stats vary now with Brian Hoyer as the expected starter. Green Bay has a slight advantage in their rushing attack with 127 per game as opposed to New England’s 218.
Defensively both teams are similar as well giving up over 300 yards per game. Both teams are in the top ten for passing defense. Mediocrity describes defending the run with Green Bay being 18th in the NFL and New England being 19th.
Betting Lines
Currently the Patriots are a 9.5 point underdog with 60% of the public leaning towards Green Bay and the points. With an over set at 40.5 this can be a tough game for bettors. With two of the lowest scoring teams in the NFL facing off and one team starting a career backup this game is shaping up to be a low scoring affair.
Kickoff is Sunday at 4:25 on CBS