Patriots vs Packers Week 4: This Matchup the Perfect Chance to Stack Another Win

• Patriots Stating QB Mac Jones is Injured, so backup Brian Hoyer will get the starting nod
• The Packers 7th ranked defense kept them in the game last week against the Bucs
• Watch Patriots vs Packers live on Sunday, September 25, 2022, at 4:25 PM ET on CBS

Patriots vs Packers Odds

Odds taken from BetMGM. Click on the links below to head to the sportsbook and place your bet.

Patriots vs Packers Pick

The Patriots will be led by their veteran backup QB Hoyer so expect him to struggle against the Packers top-6 defense as Green Bay covers the spread.

Packers -9.5 (-110)

As part of the NFL’s Week 4 schedule, an exciting cross-conference battle will take place between the New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers, and with the Pats having to field a backup QB and the Pack with a future Hall of Famer under center this game could explode.

Last week, New England Patriots franchise QB Mac Jones hopped off the field in pain after suffering a high ankle sprain that will keep him out for at least a month now, so veteran backup Brian Hoyer will get the starting nod as he and HC Bill Belichick face the Packers in Lambeau.

The Green Bay Packers can thank their 7th ranked defense for keeping them in the game last week against the Bucs and QB Aaron Rodgers’ offense was blanked in the second half, the lack of a Packers rushing attack in that win (25 car, 67 yds) a key area that could use a fix.

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New England Patriots vs Green Bay Packers Predictions

Can Patriots Backup QB Brian Hoyer Get the Job Done?

It’s a worst-case scenario situation for the New England Patriots in terms of QBs since their franchise starter, Mac Jones (ankle), is expected to be out for at least four weeks and his backup Brian Hoyer now gets the nod, a veteran hurler who has been in the league since 2009.

Hoyer began his NFL career in New England as a backup up to Tom Brady and then he became a journeyman QB who spent time with the Cardinals, Browns, Texans, Bears, Giants, and Colts before returning to the Patriots in 2020, his career record as a starter now at 16-23.

The Packers’ defense is ranked sixth in the league right now and they are seventh best against the pass, so expect the Patriots’ de facto OC Matt Patricia to rely on New England’s solid run game (below) to help facilitate the short slants and out patterns that Hoyer can likely complete.

Can Packers Defensive Line Make the Difference in Week 4?

One way for Green Bay to win this one is to dominate at the line and put pressure on the Patriot’s backup QB Hoyer (above) who is being forced to start for the foreseeable future, so expect DEs Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed and NT Kenny Clark to get busy on Sunday.

The Packers already have 7 total sacks on the season – 12th most in the league – so they have proven they can get at the opposing quarterback, and since Hoyer has been in the league he has been sacked 88 total times and the Patriots have allowed 5 Mac Jones sacks this year.

Protecting Hoyer will be Pats’ O-line – OTs Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn, OGs Mike Onwenu and rookie Cole Strange, and C David Andrews – a unit ranked third in the league after three weeks of play, a line battle with Green Bay that could make or break this game for either side.

Patriots Key Player: (RBs) Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson

What would help New England’s backup QB Hoyer in Week 4 as he adjusts to his new role would be a solid performance from the Patriots offensive backfield including RBs Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson, all part of a rushing attack ranked 13th in the NFL right now.

This is Harris’s fourth NFL season (all with the Patriots) and last year he was a dual threat that posted 220 touches for 1,061 total yards from scrimmage and 15 TDs, a production that has continued on this season, so far with 41 touches for 191 yards and 2 TDs in just three games.

Another young Patriots back is Stevenson who can also work as a checkdown receiver, so far the 6’ 0” 227-pound RB has 36 touches for 179 yards and a TD as part of this one-two punch that forms the New England 13th-ranked rushing attack that averages 116 yards per game.

Packers Key Player: (QB) Aaron Rodgers

Last week, future Hall of Fame QB Aaron Rodgers helped beat GOAT QB Tom Brady by completing a remarkable 77 percent of his passes going 27/35 for 255 yards, 2 TDs, and an interception, numbers made more remarkable given the Packers didn’t score in the second half.

Rodgers is a Super Bowl Champion and MVP who has been the league’s MVP four times including during last season, so at 38-years young he has plenty more time to earn another Lombardi Trophy for the Pack, this matchup the perfect chance to stack another win.

The Patriots have a top-8 passing defense that has an injury-riddled secondary with some players listed as questionable for this Sunday’s matchup including playmaker CB Jalen Mills (hamstring), S Joshuah Bledsoe (groin), S Kyle Dugger (knee), and S Adrian Phillips (ribs).

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