The Green Bay Packers expected to roll this Bill Belichick coached team
Starting quarterback Mac Jones’ injury is a major problem for New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. The second-year-quarterback is key to the Patriots’ offense this season. His backup, Brian Hoyer, will be asked to toss the ball around to a wide receiver corps that’s missing one of their best players, Jacobi Meyers. The Packers have been banged in the early season. But this week, the Packers have received mostly good news on the injury front.
Oddsmakers have taken notice of the discrepancies in the two teams’ rosters. According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, the Patriots are historical underdogs in Week 4:
With 14-year veteran Brian Hoyer set to start at quarterback in place of the injured Mac Jones, ESPN’s Football Power Index projects the Packers with an 89.4% chance to beat New England, which is currently the most lopsided matchup in an NFL game this season.
Furthermore, the Patriots were 10.5-point underdogs for much of the week before slipping to 9.5. If the spread ends up back in double digits, it would be just the fourth regular-season game in coach Bill Belichick’s 23-year tenure in which New England would be projected to lose by 10 or more points. Only the Packers (3 times) have been double-digit underdogs in fewer games since 2000.
Packers need to use this week as a tune-up
The Packers need to take advantage of this week’s opportunity against a weakened Bill Belichick team to gain confidence on offense and defense. By halftime, the Packers should have a comfortable lead. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur should consider resting some of the more banged-up starters. This would help the team get good rotational reps to get their depth and youth players more experience. LaFleur could open up the playbook and get some veterans like Robert Tonyan more involved in the offense.
It’s a rare opportunity for the Packers to play a Belichick-coached team with this kind of advantage. The Packers need to make the most of it.
