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Both the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots are three games away from making the wrong kind of NFL history.
New England’s chance at infamy isn’t all that surprising given its lack of star power, as well its pitiful overall offensive numbers this season. Rotating between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe at quarterback all year hasn’t been a winning (or high-scoring formula) for head coach Bill Belichick.
The two-headed rushing attack led by third-year pro Rhamondre Stevenson and three-time Pro Bowler Ezekiel Elliott has produced modest numbers on the ground at 51.6 and 37.3 rushing yards per game, respectively.
Pats fans had low expectations for the team’s passing game entering the campaign and somehow, it’s been even worse than imagined. Sixth-round rookie wide receiver Demario Douglas leads all New England players with just 443 receiving yards and wideout Kendrick Bourne (who suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Week 8) paces the group in receiving yards per game at 50.8.
As a team, the Patriots have gone over 100 rushing yards five times this season but, on each occasion, the numbers were split fairly evenly between Elliott and Stevenson. The closest a player has come to reaching the century mark on the ground in 2023 was when Stevenson carried 21 times for 98 yards in the team’s Week 12 loss to the New York Giants. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has come the closest to a 100-yard receiving day for the squad this year when he had four catches for 90 yards in New England’s Week 14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Green Bay’s spot in this conversation is a bit more surprising, given the team’s middle of the pack offense in 2023.
With quarterback Jordan Love under center, the Packers rank 17th in passing yards per game (225.7) and between Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon and others, the group is 21st in rushing yards per contest (103.0). Jones is typically the lead back and has one Pro Bowl honor to his credit but has missed six games this season due to injury.
Dillon has come closest to 100 yards on the ground in a game this year, posting 76 yards on 20 carries in Green Bay’s Week 5 loss vs. the Las Vegas Raiders.
Multiple Packers wideouts have gone over 90 yards receiving in a game in 2023 but have yet to reach triple digits. Fifth-round rookie Dontayvion Wicks has been the closest to 100, recording career highs in receptions (six) and receiving yards (97) in Green Bay’s Week 15 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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