Green Bay Packers 45, New England Patriots 27: Four turnovers sink New England
Jordan Love threw for 372 yards and three touchdowns as Green Bay beat a Patriots side that gave the ball away four times.
The New England Patriots gave the ball away four times and never had an answer for Jordan Love. The Green Bay Packers won 45-27 at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. Love finished 23 of 29 for 372 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran for a fourth score.
Green Bay had zero turnovers. New England had four, three of them Drake Maye interceptions. Against a quarterback completing nearly 80 percent of his throws, that margin was too much.
How it was won
The Packers scored on their first two drives. Love ran in from 13 yards at 13:19 of the first quarter. He then found Matthew Golden for a 5-yard touchdown at 7:59. Trey Smack's 41-yard field goal early in the second quarter made it 17-0.
New England answered. Maye hit Rhamondre Stevenson for a 30-yard touchdown at 9:23 of the second. Green Bay went straight back down the field, and Kaleb Johnson scored from 2 yards. Maye's 8-yard throw to Efton Chism III at 2:37 cut it to 24-14 at the half.
The third quarter settled it. Love found Savion Williams from 10 yards. Smack added a 51-yard field goal. Then Love hit Christian Watson for 39 yards and ran in the two-point try himself. That was 18 points in under seven minutes, and the lead was 42-14.
Maye's 22-yard touchdown to Mack Hollins at 1:11 made it 42-21. Smack's 38-yard field goal pushed the lead back to 24. Corey Kiner scored from 4 yards with 3:54 left, but the two-point pass failed.
Green Bay's receivers did the damage:
- Watson: 7 catches, 171 yards, 1 TD
- Golden: 10 catches, 164 yards, 1 TD
Johnson added 68 yards on 14 carries. The Packers outgained New England 478 to 387, with 349 yards through the air. They held the ball for 35:01.
Both teams had 22 first downs. New England actually converted third downs at a better rate, 4 of 9 to Green Bay's 4 of 12. The turnovers erased that edge.
Maye was 21 of 38 for 299 yards, with three touchdowns and three interceptions. DeMario Douglas caught 5 passes for 102 yards and Eli Raridon added 52. Kiner led the ground game with 55 yards on 8 carries. The Patriots ran for 94 yards as a team.
Against the number
New England closed as a 3.5-point favourite and lost by 18, so Green Bay covered comfortably. The Packers were +160 on the moneyline, with the Patriots at -192.
The total closed at 44.5. The teams combined for 72, clearing the over by 27.5 points. Green Bay had 42 on the board before the end of the third quarter. Closing odds and the full line history are on the game page.
What's next
The Patriots fall to 5-4. They have alternated wins and losses lately: before this game they won 24-19 at Miami, lost 24-30 at Chicago and beat the Jets 26-19.
New England hosts the Detroit Lions on Sunday, November 15, on Fox. Maye's turnovers will be the first thing to watch. He threw three interceptions here after a cleaner stretch, and the Patriots cannot give Detroit extra possessions.
Green Bay improves to 6-3. Love's efficiency and the pairing of Watson and Golden gave the Packers a road win that will be hard to argue with.