Patriots secondary, Christian Gonzalez torched by Packers receivers in 45-27 loss

The New England Patriots spent Sunday learning how quickly a strong secondary can come apart. Green Bay's Matthew Golden and Christian Watson each set career highs in receiving yards, 164 for Golden and 171 for Watson, and together they caught 17 passes for 335 yards and two touchdowns in the Packers' 45-27 win at Gillette Stadium, according to Andrew Guindon of SB Nation's Pats Pulpit. Jordan Love threw only six incompletions and finished with 372 yards and three touchdowns.

Christian Gonzalez, who signed a four-year, $135 million extension last summer, was the cornerback Love went after most. Pats Pulpit cited PFF numbers showing Gonzalez gave up nine catches on 10 targets for 177 yards and a score. He was called for pass interference on what looked like an interception early in the game. A few plays later, he and Marcus Jones both stayed with Watson on a pick route while Golden ran free on a slant for a touchdown. Gonzalez blamed himself for the communication breakdown. ClutchPoints noted that Green Bay's 45 points are the most any opponent has scored at Gillette Stadium.

Mike Vrabel put the loss down to six completions of 20 yards or more, which he calls X-plays. He also said the team needs more from its top players. "When your best players don't play good, you don't have much of a chance in this league," Vrabel said, per Pats Pulpit. He added that Gonzalez was not the only one at fault. Carlton Davis was also flagged for interference on a 43-yard Watson catch that set up a Packers score just after New England had cut the lead to 17-7. Watson's 39-yard touchdown late in the third quarter put the game away.

The loss drops the Patriots to 5-4. They have given up 75 points in their last two losses, against Chicago and Green Bay. Earlier in the season, the defense held Pittsburgh to 3 points and Buffalo to 26 in a road win. New England has won four of its last six but has not won consecutive games since a three-game streak from late September into October.

What it means for Detroit

The schedule doesn't give the defense much time to recover. The Patriots play the 6-2 Detroit Lions in Munich on Sunday, Nov. 15, a 9:30 a.m. Eastern kickoff on Fox. Detroit is the designated home team, and New England is still dealing with a long injury list. Detroit's passing game will test whether Sunday's coverage problems were a one-week lapse. Gonzalez told reporters he would study the film and be ready.

The Lions are favored on this site's board, which covers 11 venues. Novig lists Detroit at -141 on the moneyline and New England at +138. The best price on the Lions anywhere is -137 at BetRivers. On the spread, Novig has Detroit -2.5 at -117, while Hard Rock Bet offers Detroit -2 at -120. Novig's total is 51.5, with the over at -104. FanDuel's total is a point lower, 50.5 at -115. The venues are close on this game. Sportsbook hold runs from 2.9% to 4.6% on the moneyline and as high as 5.0% on the total. A total above 50 shows the market expects plenty of scoring after New England gave up 45 at home.