Zak Kuhr has been mostly shielded from criticism in 2026. The New England Patriots have a defensive-minded head coach in Mike Vrabel. They have a young quarterback in Drake Maye whose play dominates the outside discussion no matter how well or poorly he plays.
But there’s no hiding from Sunday’s 45-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers at Gillette Stadium. It was an ugly game for the Patriots all the way around, but especially for a defense that's been creeping below average in recent weeks.
Kuhr, New England’s defensive coordinator and play caller, had zero answers for Jordan Love and the Packers despite a matchup that felt pretty straightforward on paper.
Green Bay’s struggles along the offensive line have been well documented this season. The Packers entered Sunday’s game with the NFL’s worst rushing attack. They were the only team in football to average less than 3 yards per carry as a team entering Week 9.
This was always going to be a passing game. Love vs. the Patriots’ secondary. Kuhr spinning the dial with his patented blitz looks and plenty of press-man coverage on the back end.
It’s not that the Patriots reinvented the wheel with Sunday’s defensive game plan. But the explosive plays began piling up in a hurry, and Kuhr couldn’t find a way to stop the bleeding.
Packers QB Jordan Love has completed passes of:
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) November 8, 2026
49 yards
43 yards
24 yards
43 yards
28 yards
33 yards
Zak Kuhr's defensive identity became the Patriots' biggest problem against Green Bay
Per Patriots reporter Evan Lazar, New England was in man coverage for 42.4% of Love’s dropbacks. Love was 10-for-12 for 166 yards and two touchdowns against those looks, with wide receivers Matthew Golden and Christian Watson running open all over the field and often torching star Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez for easily his worst game as a pro (187 receiving yards allowed in coverage, per Next Gen Stats).
“One thought is that the Patriots coverage system is very disguise-heavy,” Lazar wrote. “They don't want to tip their hand pre-snap, which leads to man-coverage corners playing off the line of scrimmage and exotic post-snap rotations. … Could all the disguising be bogging down the secondary? Rather than playing it straight up, there's a lot of scheming in the back end that's good in theory but might be causing issues.”
The stats get even worse from Sunday the deeper you dig.
Kuhr is probably best known for his deceptive blitz packages that no Patriots opponent has handled well this season outside of losses to Jacksonville and Chicago. But blitzing Love has been a dangerous proposition this year. Per ESPN analytics, he’s completing 67% of his passes on the season when facing at least one extra rusher.
In Sunday’s game against the Patriots, Love faced a blitz on 11 of his dropbacks. He completed all 11 of his throws for 170 yards and a touchdown.
Patriots have invested too much in their defense for Zak Kuhr to avoid the hot seat
The most concerning defensive series for the Patriots on Sunday was Green Bay’s drive to open the third quarter. It was a 24-14 game at that point, and the Packers waltzed down the field for another touchdown like they were playing a preseason game in mid-August. Love was 6-for-6 passing on the drive and the score was 31-14 by the time Maye and the offense got the ball in the second half.
If the Patriots needed one stop or takeaway to help turn the tide, it was that drive, right out of the locker room. But whatever plan the coaches came up with at halftime definitely didn’t work.
The Patriots are 2-2 in their last four games with wins over the Jets and Dolphins and losses to the Bears and Packers. They’re allowing 28.25 points per game over that stretch.
The grace period has expired on Kuhr, who should be on the hot seat after the Patriots removed the interim tag and officially named him their defensive coordinator this offseason. New England has invested too much into its defense, from Gonzalez to Milton Williams, to have performances like this at home.
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