Tom Brady Gets Best of Aaron Rodgers as Patriots Beat Packers 31-17

FOXBORO — The Patriots had to find a way to pick up the slack for Rob Gronkowski and Sony Michel. In James White, Cordarrelle Patterson and Josh Gordon, the always resourceful Tom Brady found a way in his showdown against Aaron Rodgers.

James White reached the end zone twice while Cordarrelle Patterson added another touchdown run and Josh Gordon chipped in with his 12th 100-yard receiving game as the Patriots outlasted the Packers, 31-17, Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.

The Patriots won their sixth straight game to improve to 7-2 and have a road date with Tennessee next week before their bye. The Patriots also stayed two games ahead of the 5-4 Miami Dolphins in the AFC East and a game behind Kansas City in the AFC race.

Brady finished 22-of-35 for 294 yards and a touchdown and became the first player in NFL history to go over 80,000 yards passing (regular season and postseason). Rodgers was 24-of-43 for 259 yards and 2 touchdowns. For the full box score, click here.

The night began with Owner John Henry, manager Alex Cora and several Red Sox players entering the south tunnel in a duck boat with Cora hoisting the World Series trophy.

Right out of the gate, it did not appear the Patriots were going to miss Rob Gronkowski or Sony Michel.

James White caught three passes on the opening drive, on three targets, for 26 yards. He also ran three times for 18 yards, including a 9-yard jet sweep around the left end untouched for the game’s first score and a 7-0 Patriots lead.

Aaron Rodgers came right back and appeared ready to respond with a touchdown of his own. A key Adrian Clayborn neutral zone infraction on third down turned a third-and-long into third-and-2 and the Packers easily converted when Rodgers found Aaron Jones for three yards and a first down. Patrick Chung was guilty of defensive holding later in the drive as the Packers marched down to the Patriots 9. But the drive stalled and the Packers had to settle for a 29-yard Mason Crosby field goal.

The game then settled into a defensive struggle as both teams battled to convert third down opportunities.

Josh Gordon stole the show in the second quarter with a pair of outstanding catches, one that counted and one that didn’t. His 29-yard reception down the left sideline opened up a drive that saw the Patriots go from their 28 to the Packers 10. The Gordon reception got the Patriots down to the Packers 43. The very next play was a slow-developing flea-flicker in which James White ran into the line and then flipped back to Brady. Brady then found an open Julian Edelman for 33 yards to the Packers 10.

But the drive stalled there and the Patriots settled for a 28-yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal, making it 10-3.

The Packers finally put together a touchdown drive when Aaron Rodgers directed a 13-play, 79-yard drive, capped off when a scrambling Rodgers, moving to his left, threw across his body and found Davonte Adams in the end zone, in front of Stephon Gilmore and Jonathan Jones. The touchdown tied the game at 10-10.

The Patriots got a big scare on the next drive when James when went down to the ground following a 6-yard run to his left. He grabbed his left knee briefly but got up on his own power. He stayed on the sideline and did not receive treatment or attention in the blue tent. He was seen briefly by trainer Joe Van Allen. White returned to the sideline with his helmet on ready to re-enter the game.

But the Patriots didn’t need him on this drive. That’s because Cordarrelle Patterson turned into Beast Mode. The shifty receiver turned into a trusty running back option. Patterson, on the four plays following the White injury, ripped off runs of 10, 17, 8 and 5 yards, with the 5-yarder resulting in a run off left tackle to the end zone and a 17-10 Patriots lead.

The Packers opened the second half with a march down the field that was highlighted by a key recognition by Rodgers. On third-and-6, after Bill Belichick won a reversal of a first-down reception by Adams on the sideline, Rodgers noticed there was no high safety and allowed Marquez Valdes-Scantling to outrace Jason McCourty to the middle of the field for a 51-yard rainbow. The completion put the Packers at the Patriots 21. A big run up the middle put the Packers at the Patriots 12. But a holding call after another first down, the Packers had first and goal from the 15. Rodgers threw a dart to Jimmy Graham for the touchdown, beating Patrick Chung in coverage.

The Patriots appeared to have taken the lead on the next drive when Patterson was ruled in from the 1-yard line. But upon replay, Patterson’s backside hit the turf before the ball crossed the goal line. The Patriots failed on the next two downs and were turned away when Brady was pressured and threw the ball off Brashaud Breeland’s helmet, intended for Gordon in the end zone on 4th and 1.

The Patriots held and seemed destined for great field position. But a hold by Jonathan Jones on the punt set the Patriots back. And then Brady was sacked to set up 4th-and-21. But a roughing the punter personal foul set the Patriots up for another set of downs but the Patriots couldn’t put together any offensive momentum.

The Packers were marching down the field, thanks to a pair of spectacular Rodgers to Valdes-Scantling connections. With the Packers at the Patriots 34, Aaron Jones went off left tackle for 6 yards but Lawrence Guy came around and forced the fumble, with Stephon Gilmore recovering at the bottom of the pile.

Brady then directed a 10-play, 76-yard drive in just 4 minutes, 46 seconds, highlighted by a double pass from Brady to Edelman to White for 37 yards down to the Packers 2. Two plays later, it was White into the end zone for a 24-17 lead with 10:06 left.

The Patriots added to their lead when Brady hit an open Josh Gordon at the Packers 30. Corner Tramon Williams blew the open field tackle and Gordon had an easy 55-yard jaunt into the end zone for a 31-17 lead with 7:20 left.