The Packers’ Week 9 trip to New England brings together a long list of ties between the teams, spanning former players, coaches, front-office staff and shared stops across the NFL and college football. The connections range from Packers coach Ben Sirmans’ time at Maine and Boston College to Patriots center Ben Brown’s family link to Green Bay.

By the Numbers
  • Ben Brown’s grandfather, Allen, played for Green Bay from 1965–67 and won Super Bowls I and II.
  • Packers executive vice president of player personnel Elliot Wolf spent 14 years with Green Bay.
  • Patriots defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington spent eight seasons on New England’s coaching staff.
  • Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie played at Boston College from 2017–20.
Yes, But

Most of the links are personnel and career overlaps, not direct indicators of how the game will unfold. They do, however, underline how often players and coaches cross paths as they move through the NFL and college football.

Bottom Line

Green Bay’s visit to New England is a matchup between familiar networks: the teams share people and history across multiple levels of football, even as they meet as opponents in Week 9.