The Green Bay Packers secured a dominant victory over the New England Patriots over the weekend. While quarterback Jordan Love performed well, the Packers defense also shone by intercepting Patriots quarterback Drake Maye three times, starting with a takeaway on the game’s very first pass.
First Quarter Interception
The Patriots opened in 12 personnel with a balanced 2×2 look, motioning a tight end before running a play-fake and a half-bootleg by Maye. The Packers showed a single-high safety look with Xavier McKinney before the snap and maintained it, playing what appeared to be Cover 3. New England sent Kyle Williams on a deep post and Mack Hollins on a deep crosser. As Maye climbed the pocket to manipulate defenders, McKinney shifted off the post to cover Hollins on the crosser. With the second level of the Green Bay defense positioned deep, Evan Williams sat right in Maye’s intended window. Maye threw across the field, allowing McKinney to intercept the pass and return it 36 yards to the Patriots’ 14-yard line. Jordan Love scored on a scramble two plays later to bring the score to 7-0.
Second Quarter Interceptions
The second interception occurred with 12:54 remaining in the second quarter, as the Patriots lined up in 11 personnel in a 3×1 formation. The Packers initially showed press coverage with safeties tight to the line, and safety Evan Williams began bailing to the middle before the snap. This created the illusion of man-to-man coverage without safety help on Kyle Williams. However, at the snap, the coverage shifted into a two-high look as Evan Williams dropped wide and Javon Bullard moved to a deep zone. Maye attempted to target Kyle Williams, but Cisse tipped the pass, allowing Evan Williams to secure the interception.
The third interception came with 5:47 left in the second quarter, with the Patriots facing a 2nd and 7 from a shotgun 3×1 formation. New England utilized Kyle Williams on a vertical route, Hunter Henry on an underneath curl, and Eli Raridon on a crossing route. The Packers deployed a Cover 2 scheme with McKinney and Evan Williams dropping into deep-half zones. Maye hesitated while looking toward Raridon, while McKinney kept his eyes on the middle of the field rather than tracking the deep vertical route. As Maye began his throwing motion, McKinney broke downward and reached the ball before Raridon. Following this turnover with the score at 17-7, the Packers capitalized three plays later when Kaleb Johnson ran for a touchdown to extend the lead to 24-7.
