5 Stars of the Game From Green Bay Packers’ 45-27 Win Over New England Patriots

That was a statement win if there ever was one, and it could be one of the key turning points of the Green Bay Packers' 2026 season. If the Packers go on to make a run, we'll look back at this 45-27 win over the New England Patriots and say that this was the time when they actually started looking like a contender.

Anytime your starting quarterback is sitting on the bench at the end of the game and he's not injured or your not down a million, that's a good thing.

Matt LaFleur's offense was cooking all night. The Packers' 45 points were the most the Patriots had given up at Gillette Stadium...ever. The last time the Packers scored 45 or more points with 450 or more yards was in 1962.

Kudos to that unit, but the defense shone as well.

Jonathan Gannon's defense forced four turnovers, including three interceptions thrown by Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.

Heck, the Packers even rushed for 129 yards as a team.

It was an overall incredible win for the Packers on national television, and as long as they can stay healthy and keep playing this brand of football, they're going to be one of the Super Bowl contenders in the NFC.

Here are the five stars of the game for Green Bay.

Honorable mentions: Trey Smack, Kaleb Johnson, Isaiah McDuffie

Star #5: Evan Williams is becoming a superstar 

Multiple times on the FOX broadcast it was brought up that third-year safety Evan Williams is an ascending superstar in the NFL. That's something Packers fans have thought for about a year now, but the national audience, starting with Tom Brady and Kevin Burkhardt, is starting to catch on.

Williams can play all over the field and Gannon is using him as a Swiss-army knife safety who is just as likely to blitz and get after the quarterback as he is to make a play deep down the field. 

It's a huge comparison, but Williams is Troy Polamalu-esque in his ability to make plays both in the backfield and in the defensive secondary.

In this one, Williams finished with five tackles, one pass defended, multiple quarterback pressures and an incredible interception.

Star #4: Christian Watson may be the NFL's best deep-threat

With his size, speed and ability to catch the deep ball, Christian Watson may be becoming the NFL's most dangerous player down the field.

He's simply a big play waiting to happen, and now that he's been consistently healthy and on the field, he's a defensive coordinator's worst nightmare.

Watson caught seven catches for 171 yards and a touchdown in this game, averaging 24.4 yards per catch.

Star #3: Xavier McKinney is trending for another All-Pro season

Xavier McKinney has been one of the NFL's best ball hawks since entering the league out of Alabama in 2020. That has led to two All-Pro seasons in a row with the Packers, and he's trending for his third.

McKinney picked off Maye twice in this game and now his interception total for the season is up to five — which is tied for the league lead.

Star #2: Matthew Golden is unstoppable when he catches the football

Matthew Golden is fast, he runs great routes and when he's catching the ball, there's really nothing that can be done against him from a defensive perspective.

Golden is quickly becoming one of the NFL's best young wide receivers and if it wasn't for his drop problem in 2026, we'd be talking about him as a potential All-Pro candidate. Frankly, that's still possible.

Golden caught 10 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots. A year after a rather disappointing rookie season, he now has notched 783 yards and five touchdowns with eight games to go.

Star #1: Jordan Love's MVP campaign continues

Jordan Love is playing like one of the best players in the league right now and there's nobody in the NFL who has been asked to do more with less help.

Despite a porous and beat up offensive line and a non-existent run game, Love leads the league in passing yards (2,618) and is tied for fourth in the NFL in passing touchdowns (19).

He was nearly perfect against the Patriots, posting a 153.2 passer rating while completing 23-of-29 passes for 372 yards and three touchdowns with no picks. He also rushed in a touchdown.

Love is elite, and there's a real chance he becomes the Packers' third straight MVP quarterback.