When you win a game 45-27, there is a lot to unpack. When you lose 45-27, well, there's even more to unpack. The New England Patriots haven't had an opposing team drop 40 points or more since December 2024, when the Los Angeles Chargers beat them 40-7.

It was the Jerod Mayo era, a rebuilding season that turned into a disaster. Losing 45-7 to the Green Bay Packers in Week 9 creates a lot of storylines at the midway point of the season.

Falling to 5-4 instead of moving to 6-3 puts the Patriots at a crossroads. From here, they could either compete their way into the playoffs or falter into an offseason where they need to regroup.

Talking and writing about the Patriots having injuries this season is like saying the sky is blue. We all already know about their struggles with who is week to week and who is on IR.

The Patriots got beat up bad; that's what the headlines will say for the next day or so until we turn the page, but with more looming injuries on the offensive line, could it get worse on Drake Maye's blind side? Ben Brown left the game on Sunday with an apparent knee injury after weeks of battling back to the field.

We also saw Will Campbell enter the blue tent after limping off the field with a knee injury. No word yet on whether these two just banged up and needed to rest. Either way, with a trip to Germany to play the Detroit Lions now on the horizon, the Patriots could be in trouble in an already thin area of their roster.

Statistically, Mike Vrabel-coached teams are known for slow starts. Vrabel holds a career record of 2–6 in Week 1 games. Some feel it is tied to his preseason philosophy of resting starters.

Well, that philosophy showed solid evidence this season with their slow start. In the last three weeks, the Patriots fell behind early. In Chicago, they trailed 10-0; in the Dolphins game, they fell to a 13-3 first-half deficit; and Sunday, they trailed 17-0 early to the Packers.

The Patriots used to come out swinging early; we've seen very little of that over the last two months.

The Green Bay Packers weren't supposed to have a good running game on Sunday; the Patriots were going to need to focus on the passing game. Yet once the Packers got moving on the ground, it was even more frustrating.

Green Bay entered the game dead last in the NFL in rushing at just 60.6 yards per game and 2.9 yards per carry. Against the Patriots, they doubled that average. With Kaleb Johnson stepping in after Josh Jacobs left, the Packers rushed for 129 yards at 4.0 yards per carry.

Spillane and Elliss didn't play physical middle-of-the-field football all night like we saw them do in the past, and it didn't help that Jordan Love threw for 372 passing yards.

Over nine games, New England has scored 211 points (23.4 PPG) and allowed 207 points (23.0 PPG), for a net point differential of just +4. When they're playing evenly matched or inferior teams, they get the job done. Against better or evenly matched teams, their on-field play has holes.

The Packers vs. Patriots game felt evenly matched in the build-up. Things changed quickly.

At 5-4, their four losses come against playoff contenders with a combined 24–11 record (.686 win percentage): Seattle (5-4), Jacksonville (6-2), Chicago (7-2), and Green Bay (6-3). Against Jacksonville, Chicago, and Green Bay, the Patriots lost by an average of 17.7 points.

If these numbers say anything, it is that the Patriots have enough to sneak into the playoffs in January, but do they have enough to compete for a postseason win?

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