Many external forces surround the New England Patriots and their Sunday afternoon game against the Green Bay Packers. Rob Gronkowski's Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at halftime, with festivities running all weekend.

Let's not forget: Tom Brady will be in the booth on Sunday, doing color commentary for Fox in his return to Gillette Stadium.

Despite a busy weekend in Foxborough, the focus remains simple. Beat the Packers, because after a sluggish start, Green Bay has found its stride and comes in at the same 5-3 record.

It's another game that's not a "must-win" but a "can't lose" situation for the Patriots, and that adds a lot of variables to how they get it done on Sunday.

Wide receiver Mack Hollins returned to practice this week, officially opening his 21-day window after being on IR since Week 4. Also, Greg Van Rotten returned to limited practice as well after a stint on IR. All of this is great news.

However, the Patriots aren't going to get healthy overnight. Sure, Drake Maye is doing an incredible job carrying this team; realistically, that could run its course before the regular season is over.

The Patriots need the team they envisioned in the offseason, and right now they'll still be without A.J. Brown, TreyVeyon Henders, Romeo Doubs, Hunter Henry, and now Marcus Jones, who missed all practice so far this week. The light at the end of the tunnel is still an illusion.

Win or lose, after the Patriots play the Packers, they will have to shift focus to not being able to play at home for the next three weeks. Details on when they fly out for their game in Munich, Germany, are under wraps, but assume no later than this coming Thursday.

After that, they get a bye week but then have to play the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium the following week. The team won't set foot on the grass in Gillette Stadium till December.

A crammed schedule, plus jet lag, followed by a week off, and then a trip out west could be cause for concern for Mike Vrabel when coaching a younger team. Even with a week off, the team needs to be in midseason form and stay focused if they want to ride into the postseason in a few months.

To echo the statement above about Drake Maye carrying the team through injuries this last month, it can't last forever. On the other hand, his mental roadblock seems to be in the rearview.

Maye's September slow start is now a thing of the past. His numbers are rivaling what they looked like around this time last year. A win on Sunday, along with a high-caliber performance, could have many buzzing.

However, what needs to be studied is the nuts and bolts of how Maye operates lately. His body language and vocal leadership have been elite in recent games—his ability to control pre-snap chaos when calling audibles. Maye's progression in authority on the field has been exceptional. You almost can't judge him on arm talent anymore.

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