NFL Week 9 expert picks for Packers vs. Patriots: Who wins Sunday showdown? - Packers Wire
The Green Bay Packers have won four of five games and are starting to stockpile believers. Despite going on the road to face the 5-3 New England Patriots on Sunday, a slight majority of NFL experts see the Packers escaping Gillette Stadium with an upset victory.
Of the 53 experts reviewed in this space every week, 32 picked the Packers to win, or roughly 60 percent. Matt LaFleur's team is coming off a Thursday night win and the mini-bye, while the Patriots had to come back from a 13-3 deficit to beat the Miami Dolphins on the road last Sunday. The Packers will be better rested, and their injury situation might actually come in on the favorable side considering who Drake Maye will be missing on Sunday.
A review of the Week 9 expert picks of Packers vs. Patriots:
Of the six experts at USA Today, four picked the Packers to win.
Of the 11 experts at ESPN, nine picked the Packers to win.
Of the five experts at NFL.com, four picked the Packers.
From Cersosimo: "The Packers and Patriots have had the same results every week of the 2026 season, and I pray they don't follow suit in Week 9 because that would mean a dreaded tie (please no!). These clubs have won four of their last five games, significantly improving upon their rocky starts, and feature many similar aspects, including top-10 defenses (the countdown to Micah Parsons' return to game action is on!) and quarterbacks who aren't afraid to heave it deep. Green Bay's Jordan Love leads the NFL with 21 completions of 25-plus yards and downfield pass yards (1,253) in 2026, per Next Gen Stats. New England's Drake Maye sits third in both categories but first in pass TDs of 40-plus yards (four), so we should expect some explosive plays come Sunday, regardless of which pass catchers are healthy enough to take the field. The one area that continues to trip me up is the Packers' run game, That unit welcomed Josh Jacobs back from the Commissioner's Exempt List two games ago and nothing's changed. Green Bay's averaging an NFL-worst 60.6 rush yards per game in 2026 -- which would be the fewest by any team in a season since the 1970 merger -- and a ghastly 2.9 yards per carry. I'm not confident that changes Sunday against a New England defense allowing the sixth-fewest rush yards per game (92.6). It's a weakness the Packers have been able to overcome in past weeks, but it'll catch up to them this time."
Of the eight experts at MMQB, three picked the Packers.
Of the seven experts at The Athletic, four picked the Packers.
Of the seven experts at CBS Sports, four picked the Packers.
From Prisco: "This has the feel of a low-scoring game with two good defenses — even though both teams have good quarterbacks. The Packers have added rest from playing last Thursday, which will help. The Patriots had to rally and beat the Dolphins last week. The defenses play well, but It's Jordan Love who makes the plays late to win it. Packers 19, Patriots 16"
Of the nine experts at SB Nation, four picked the Packers.
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