Rex Ryan is giving the New England Patriots almost no chance of beating the Green Bay Packers in their Week 4 game Sunday at Lambeau Field, and the primary reason for that is Brian Hoyer.
The veteran backup quarterback is getting the start because Mac Jones is unable to play due to an ankle injury. Hoyer is in his 14th NFL season but has struggled to win games. He's winless in his last 11 starts, including the Patriots' Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2020 campaign.
Tomase: Let's please stop pretending Brian Hoyer is any good
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Ryan, who coached against the Patriots many times and is now an analyst for ESPN, didn't give Hoyer any respect when discussing this week's matchup on ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown" show.
"I'm looking at it this way -- if they rely on Brian Hoyer, he's going to be 0-12 real quick in this game," Ryan said. "If they have to throw the ball against this secondary, that pass rush and all that, (the Patriots) don't have the weapons."
When asked what Ryan would do as a coach against Hoyer, Ryan said, "I would do anything I want because this guy can't get it done as a starting quarterback. I'm going to stack that line of scrimmage and not let you breathe running the football. This guy has shown -- he's 0-11 as a starter in his last 11 starts. He's past his prime and he didn't have a prime."
Ouch.
New England Patriots
Oddsmakers aren't giving the Patriots much of a chance Sunday, either. New England is, as of this writing, 9.5-point underdogs entering Green Bay.
The Patriots have actually done a pretty good job defending Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. They are 2-1 versus the four-time league MVP and have held him to a 55.9 completion percentage in those games. New England will need another one of those excellent defensive performances to leave Green Bay with an unlikely victory.
Kickoff for Patriots-Packers is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET.