The Packers are starting to look like a team nobody wants to run into, and they did it again by flattening the defending AFC champion Patriots 45-27. Green Bay is still sitting fourth in the NFC North, but the way this group has rebounded from a 2-1 start has changed the conversation fast.
This is a team that has won five of its last six, and the question now feels less like whether the Packers are good and more like who, exactly, is going to slow them down next.
The path ahead is no soft landing. Green Bay gets the offensively deficient Vikings in Week 10 at Lambeau, then heads into its bye.
The Packers had Minnesota on the ropes in Week 1 before the Vikings surged late and stole the opener, but this time Green Bay gets them at home. After that come road games against the Rams and Saints, and neither of those teams has lived up to expectations.
Then comes a shootout with the Bills and Allen in Week 14.
By the time that one is over, the Packers should have a much clearer read on themselves. They also could have Micah Parsons back in the lineup by then, which would only make an already dangerous team even more daunting.
What made the Patriots win stand out was the way Jordan Love took over. He looked like one of the best quarterbacks in football, right there with Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills or Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals. That’s not just hot streak talk - it’s what the tape and the numbers from the last two statement wins are showing.
Four weeks earlier, Green Bay had already put a stamp on things with a 31-7 dismantling of the Bears at Lambeau Field. Caleb Williams wasn’t in that game, but Love and the passing game still carved up Chicago with ease.
Love finished 25 of 31 for 367 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Christian Watson and Matthew Golden were the big-play engines there.
Watson caught 6 of 8 targets for 143 yards and two scores, while Golden hauled in 6 of 7 for 123 yards. Love also connected with Watson on a 53-yard strike and Golden on a 50-yarder.
The Patriots game was even louder, and it came in a tougher setting. Love went 23 of 29 for 372 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, then added a 13-yard run for the opening score of the game.
Once again, Watson and Golden did the heavy lifting on the outside, and both beat Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, a Pro Bowl player and one of the league’s best at the position. Watson caught 7 of 9 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown, averaging 24.4 yards per catch.
Golden was even cleaner, catching all 10 of his targets for 164 yards and a touchdown.
Matt LaFleur praised the way Love has handled everything asked of him.
“I can’t say enough great things about him,” LaFleur said, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “What’s even better about him is just how he is on a daily basis.
Just coming in, working with him, he is the same guy every day, whether it’s a great performance like he’s been doing consistently or (not). He’s just the same guy.
He’s the same guy that we got when we drafted him, and I think it’s a big-time credit and I don’t want that to get overlooked.”
That steadiness has become the backbone of Green Bay’s offense. The run game has given the Packers very little, but the passing attack has become the kind of weapon that can tilt games on its own.
The defense is doing its part, too. Green Bay is allowing 21.2 points per game, which ranks 11th in the NFL.
Safety Evan Williams is putting together an All-Pro caliber season with 76 tackles, seven passes defensed, three interceptions, two tackles for loss and one fumble recovery. Linebacker Isasiah McDuffie has been strong as well, with 53 tackles, one sack, three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
And that’s before Parsons returns. If the defense is already solid now, his presence could push it into a different tier altogether. The Packers are trending up every week, and right now they look like a team that believes it can keep climbing all the way toward the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
In Other News...
Packers-Vikings Suddenly Carries Bigger NFC Stakes Than Expected
The Week 10 meeting with Minnesota has taken on a little more weight than a typical division game for Green Bay, with the Packers listed as three-point favorites at FanDuel and the NFC playoff race still crowded. Both the North and West divisions have multiple teams fighting for limited postseason spots, so every result around this stretch of the schedule is starting to matter a little more than it did a month ago.
Minnesotas quarterback situation adds another layer to the matchup, with Kyler Murray dealing with a hamstring injury and his availability in doubt for the Packers game. If he cannot go, Carson Wentz would be the next man up, and Green Bay will be watching closely because the difference between facing a healthy starter and a backup can shape how much this game can swing the standings. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Are Stuck In A Division Race Unlike Anything The NFL Sees
The NFC North has turned into the kind of race that usually only exists on paper, with all four teams entering Week 10 sitting at least three games above .500. For Green Bay, the bigger picture is hard to ignore: the Packers are 6-3, right in the middle of a division where the Bears are 7-2, the Vikings are 6-1 and the Lions are 6-2, and every week seems to reshuffle the order without knocking anyone out of the hunt.
What makes it even more unusual is the pace the division is setting as a whole, with the NFC North piling up wins at a rate that has it tracking toward a historic finish. The Packers do not have the luxury of treating this like a normal division race, because the margin for error is tiny and the standard to keep up is unusually high, which is exactly why every game from here carries an outsized feel. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Love Sent A Clear Message About This Packers Offense
Jordan Love and the Packers made a point of attacking New Englands secondary in Sundays 45-27 win, with cornerback Christian Gonzalez drawing plenty of attention along the way. The approach fit the way Green Bay wants to play under Love, leaning into its own plan and its own personnel rather than getting caught up in the reputation of the defender across from them.
Love said afterward the Packers do not change their offensive identity based on who is lining up in coverage, a message that matched the way they handled the Patriots. He was sharp throughout the afternoon, completing 23 of 29 passes for 372 yards and two touchdowns, and the performance offered another reminder that Green Bay is comfortable letting its passing game dictate terms. [Read more 🡒]