GREEN BAY PACKERS (3-3-1) AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (6-2)
Sunday, November 4, 2018 at 8:20pm ET. Gillette Stadium (65,878).
PATRIOTS: Game Release (PDF) | Roster | Depth Chart | Stats | Watch Games
PACKERS: Roster | Depth Chart | Stats
The New England Patriots are off to a 6-2 start for the sixth straight season following a 25-6 Monday Night Football win over Buffalo. The victory marked the Patriots fifth consecutive win.
New England will play in primetime for the second straight week and for the fourth time in five weeks when they host the Green Bay Packers at Gillette Stadium in a Sunday Night Football game. The Patriots are 1-1 in 2018 on Sunday night. After dropping a 26-10 decision at Detroit on Sept. 23, the Patriots rebounded with a 43-40 victory over Kansas City at Gillette Stadium on Oct. 14.
The Patriots concluded the month of October with a 4-0 mark, their 25 undefeated month since 2000.
SERIES HISTORY
The New England Patriots will host the Green Bay Packers at Gillette Stadium for the first time since a 31-17 win on Sunday Night Football on Dec 19, 2010. The game featured a 71-yard kickoff return by OL Dan Connolly to the 4-yard line in the second quarter. According to Elias Sports Bureau, it remains the longest kickoff return by an offensive lineman in NFL history. The run by Connolly topped the 48-yard touchdown return by Atlanta's Mal Snider in 1969. The previous longest kickoff return for a Patriots offensive lineman was a 27-yard return by G Stephen Neal on Nov. 30, 2008, vs. Pittsburgh.
New England and Green Bay last met in the 2014 regular season when the Patriots traveled to Lambeau Field on Nov. 30. The Packers beat the Patriots, 26-21, the team's last lost of that season en route to the Super Bowl XLIX title.
The regular-season series between the two teams is tied at five wins apiece. Green Bay beat New England in the one postseason meeting between the two teams, a 35-21 Packers victory in Super Bowl XXXI at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans on Jan. 26, 1997.
The Patriots first regular-season home victory under Robert Kraft was on Oct. 2, 1994 in a 17-16 win against the Packers.
QUICK HITS
- The Packers were the first team to defeat the Patriots at Gillette Stadium, claiming a 28-10 victory on Oct. 13, 2002, New England's first season in its new home.
- Following that loss, the Patriots won 14 straight against the NFC North until losing, 26-21, at Green Bay on Nov. 30, 2014.
TALE OF THE TAPE
| 2018 Regular Season | New England | Green Bay |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 6-2 | 3-3-1 |
| Divisional Standings | 1st | 3rd |
| Total Yards Gained | 3,055 | 2,885 |
| Total Offense (Rank) | 381.9 (11) | 412.1 (5) |
| Rush Offense | 115.3 (13) | 104 (21) |
| Pass Offense | 266.6 (13) | 308.1 (5) |
| Points Per Game | 29.9 (4) | 25 (13) |
| Total Yards Allowed | 3,062 | 2,386 |
| Total Defense (Rank) | 382.8 (25) | 340.9 (12) |
| Rush Defense | 105.5 (14) | 119.1 (22) |
| Pass Defense | 277.3 (22) | 221.7 (5) |
| Points Allowed/Game | 23.1 (12) | 24.7 (17) |
| Possession Avg. | 30.22 | 30:47 |
| Sacks Allowed/Yards Lost | 11/67 | 24/181 |
| Sacks Made/Yards | 12/94 | 23/150 |
| Total Touchdowns Scored | 27 | 18 |
| Penalties Against/Yards | 38/303 | 51/477 |
| Punts/Avg. | 29/45.2 | 27/45.3 |
| Turnover Differential | +3 (10t) | 0 (17T) |
PATRIOTS ON SUNDAY NIGHT
The Patriots own a 29-19 record overall on Sunday Night Football. The Patriots are 1-1 so far in 2018 after a loss at Detroit and a win vs. Kansas City.
BRADY ON SUNDAY NIGHT
QB Tom Brady owns a 20-11 record in 31 games playing on Sunday Night Football.
His best statistical performance on came in Week 10 of the 2007 season when he completed 31-of-39 pass attempts for 373 yards and five touchdowns, including four to WR Randy Moss, in a 56-10 rout of the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium (11/18).
Brady has thrown for over 300 yards 14 times in Sunday Night Football games.
IF THE PATRIOTS WIN...
- The Patriots will tie the Packers in the all-time record between the teams at 6-6.
- The team will boast a 76-50 record (.603) in primetime games, including a 30-19 mark (.612) on Sunday Night Football and an 18-10 record on NBC.
- The Patriots will have a 7-2 record through the first nine games of the year, marking the 12th time in franchise history and sixth-straight season that the team has started the year at 7-2 or better. It will also be the 10th time under Bill Belichick that the team will start 7-2 or better. Seven of those 10 times, the team has advanced to the Super Bowl.
- The Patriots will own a 53-14 (.791) record vs. NFC teams since realignment in 2002, which is the best interconference record in the NFL during that time, including a 16-3 mark against the NFC North.
- Tom Brady will improve to 3-2 against the Packers. Brady and Rodgers have only gone head-to-head one time in their careers as starters, with the Packers winning 26-21 at Lambeau Field in 2014.
- Tom Brady will extend his own record for most career wins in NFL history to 230 victories (regular and postseason).
- It will mark the 203rd regular-season win of Tom Brady's career. He is currently in third place for most regular season wins in NFL history.
- Tom Brady will earn his 74th regular-season win at home since 2007, which is more than five teams have earned, both home and away, during that span — Tampa Bay (71), Oakland (68), Jacksonville (66), L.A. Rams (65) and Cleveland (50).
- Tom Brady will extend his own NFL record for career wins in a venue with 106 victories at Gillette Stadium. John Elway is next with 95 wins at Mile High Stadium.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR...
- The Patriots have had at least one takeaway in each game of 2018. If they continue this streak throughout the season, it will mark the ninth time in franchise history and the first time since 2012 that the team has had a takeaway in every game of the regular season.
- Tom Brady needs 3 yards rushing to reach 1,000 rushing yards in his career.
- With 219 yards against the Packers — passing, rushing or receiving — Tom Brady will reach 80,000 total yards in his career (regular and postseason), becoming the first player in NFL history to reach that mark.
- With four touchdown passes, he will also tie Peyton Manning for most career touchdowns all-time (regular and postseason) with 579.
- If Julian Edelman has one punt return of 30 or more yards, he will tie Troy Brown for most 30-yard punt returns in team history.
- If Rob Gronkowski has a 100-yard receiving game, he will tie Wes Welker (28) for second-most in Patriots history behind Stanley Morgan (38). He will also be just three games from tying Tony Gonzalez (31), who has the most 100-yard games by a tight end in NFL history.
RECORD-SETTING RECEPTIONS PACE
James White has 55 receptions so far this season and is on pace to break the team mark for most receptions by a running back. White is averaging more than six catches per game and is currently on track for 110 receptions, which would set the NFL record for most receptions by an NFL running back in a single season.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TELEVISION: This week's game will be broadcast by NBC and can be seen locally on NBC 10 Boston. Al Michaels will handle play-by-play duties with Cris Collinsworth as the color analyst. Michele Tafoya will work from the sidelines. The game will be produced by Fred Gaudelli and directed by Drew Esocoff.
NATIONAL RADIO: Monday's game will be broadcast to a national audience on Westwood One. Kevin Kugler will call the game with Mike Mayock providing analysis.
LOCAL RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. A complete listing of the network's 41 stations can be found here. Play-by-play broadcaster Bob Socci will call the action along with former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak, who will provide color analysis. The games are produced by Marc Cappello.
