12 immediate takeaways from the Patriots' embarrassing loss to the Packers

After sneaking by the Dolphins last week, the Patriots were riding on a high going into a home game against the Packers, with Tom Brady in the booth, Rob Gronkowski in the house after his Hall of Fame induction, and the 2016 Super Bowl-winning team in the house to celebrate Super Bowl LI.

It was obvious it wouldn't be an easy game against the 5-3 Packers, even though they are in last place in their division, and the first few moments proved that understatement.

Turnovers, injuries, and questionable coaching were on full display Sunday afternoon, and the Packers beat them in nearly every way imaginable. It was a rough day from top to bottom, with Drake Maye leading the way and Christian Gonzalez recording the worst game of his career, to make it even worse.

It's a brutal game they'll have to rewatch before facing the Lions next week, but hopefully, they'll learn from all their mistakes and play better in Germany.

12 immediate takeaways from the Patriots' Week 9 loss

1-Drake Maye's turnover woes were back again, throwing another interception at the very start of the game. It was his first in four games, and he threw another horrific one to Isaiah McDuffie on the second play of the drive, setting the Packers up for an easy touchdown in the first two minutes.

He followed that up with another in the second quarter off a tipped pass, giving the Packers another chance when the Patriots were already down 17-0.

After gaining some momentum from a touchdown drive and the defense forcing the Packers to punt, Maye threw his third interception of the day on a deep pass meant for Eli Raridon.

Playing from behind is never good, but it's particularly bad for this Patriots team, and Maye's mistakes

2-Mike Vrabel missed a big opportunity to win a challenge: he had the flag ready to go but, for some reason, didn't throw it. Matthew Golden didn't get two feet down after the 16-yard catch.

3-Kyle Williams had a big opportunity to make a massive play, likely a touchdown, on a deep pass from Drake Maye on their third offensive series, but he stopped running to track the football, and the perfect throw from Maye went uncaught in front of him, right outside the end zone.

It was a mistake for the young receiver, and a costly one after the team fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter. Given that he already gets limited opportunities, this wasn't a play that proved he deserves more.

4-Christian Gonzalez had a rough first quarter that continued all game long, prompting a lot of discussion about how he's played since receiving a massive contract extension ahead of Week 1.

Packers receivers had a field day against the cornerbacks, especially Matthew Golden, who caught 7 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown just in the first half, much of it against Gonzalez.

5-NFL officials got heavily involved in this game, particularly with a clear non-catch that was called complete on the field. Mike Vrabel challenged the catch, and the officiating crew in New York reviewed it and upheld the call.

It's clear Christian Watson didn't catch the ball; it hit the ground, setting up an easy touchdown and giving the Packers a 24-7 lead before halftime.

The league assuring teams and fans that having the head crew in New York oversee the calls in a game is a complete joke.

6-The same can be said about another unsafe play by a defender that two referees initially flagged, only to pick them up and dock the Patriots with a 10-second runoff for their decision.

This looked like another helmet-to-helmet situation that the officials turned a blind eye to.

7-Injuries. Injuries. Injuries.

It wouldn't be a Patriots game this year without injuries; Carlton Davis and Ben Brown suffered knee injuries and were questionable to return in the second half. Brenden Schooler also dealt with a hamstring injury that kept him out.

In the third quarter, Rhamondre Stevenson left with a knee injury and was shortly deemed questionable to return. Then Will Campbell left with a knee injury as well, in the fourth quarter after being shaken up on the field. That's the last thing the Patriots' offense needed.

This team will never be very successful if injuries keep piling up every week.

8-After not fumbling since Week 2 against the Steelers, Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled in the 3rd quarter, and the Packers recovered it. They were already up 34-14 at this point, so giving them another chance on the Patriots' side of the field was far from ideal and just another example of this team being its own worst enemy.

9-This is the first time in franchise history that the Patriots have allowed two wide receivers to record 150+ receiving yards in a single game. Matthew Golden (10 catches for 164 yards) and Christian Watson (7 catches for 171 yards) accomplished that on Sunday - had it been just one player, it would've been the first time since 2014 New England allowed that.

But, in 2026 fashion, they had to make sure they doubled their bad showing by allowing it to happen with two players instead.

10-What had been a strength for the Patriots' defense just wasn't in this game, as the Packers recorded 100+ rushing yards for the first time this season. Clearly, the defense wasn't prepared to shut down their backup running back, since starter Josh Jacobs left the game with a hand injury and didn't contribute much.

11-This is the most points the Patriots have allowed in a game since 1993. It's also the most they've ever allowed at Gillette Stadium.

12-This was an overall embarrassing effort by everyone.

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