FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Patriots coach Mike Vrabel underlined a universal truth about the NFL following his team’s lethargic 45-27 loss to Green Bay: If your team’s best players don’t perform well, your chances of winning typically evaporate.
New England’s top players on both sides of the ball – quarterback Drake Maye and cornerback Christian Gonzalez – turned in two of the worst performances of their careers.
“We expect a lot more,” Vrabel said.
Maye threw three interceptions for the second time this season, two leading to 14 points for the Packers. He threw just one pick in his previous four games. He’s now tied with the Chargers’ Justin Herbert with an NFL-worst 11 INTs.
Gonzalez had just as bad a night. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the cornerback gave up seven catches for 105 yards to Matthew Golden and three catches for 82 yards to Christian Watson. It made Gonzalez the only defender since at least 2018 to allow more than 80 yards receiving to two players in the same game.
“Christian had a few plays I’m sure that he’d like to have back,” Vrabel said. “We have high expectations for him, and he certainly does, too. So, I think it’s about answering the challenge this week and then coming back.”
What’s clear is that the team needs both players to course correct quickly as injuries throughout the roster continue to pile and a three-week run of games against Buffalo, Minnesota and Kansas City is less than a month away.
It has put even more emphasis on this Sunday’s matchup with the Detroit Lions in Germany, the Patriots’ final game before their bye week. Lose, and they’ll fall to 5-5 and leave little room for error down the stretch.
“We’ve got to bounce back and know that there’s still some games left and we’re battling,” Maye said. “We’ve got to battle. I think that’s it.”
What’s working
Not a lot. But the Patriots did go 2 for 2 in the red zone. Still, for the season they’ve converted on just 14 of 24 (58.3%) of their chances inside the 20.
What needs help
The run game. New England’s 94 yards rushing were their second fewest of the season and the second time in three games the Patriots failed to run for at least 100 yards
Stock up
WR DeMario Douglas. The receiver did his part to try to keep the offense moving, catching five passes for a season-high 102 yards.
Stock down
The offensive line. Maye was sacked a season-high four times. While the O-line came in dealing with injuries and had a few more Sunday, it’s something that must be cleaned up if the offense is going to get back on track this week.
Injuries
The biggest concern is running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who was able to jog off the field under his own power late in the third quarter. But he was later announced to have suffered a knee injury. … Cornerback Carlton Davis III also suffered a knee injury in the second quarter. … In addition, left guard Ben Brown (knee) limped off a few plays after Davis late in the second quarter. … Special teamer Brenden Schooler also aggravated a hamstring injury. … Left tackle Will Campbell walked off with a knee injury in the fourth quarter.
Key number
5 — Number of teams the Patriots will face over their last eight games that currently have winning records.
Next steps
The Patriots head to Munich, Germany, on Wednesday to begin preparations for Sunday’s matchup with the Lions at FC Bayern Munich Arena, home to the Bundesliga soccer team.
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