The short-handed Green Bay Packers had a tall task on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints with a handful of their key starters out with injuries. Early miscues put them in a hole, but an impressive Jordan Love led the Packers back with 18 straight fourth-quarter points to create a stunning 18-17 win.
From the press box, here are my instant takeaways from the Packers’ performance.
Buy Packers Tickets— Down 17 points in the fourth quarter and going against one of the best defenses in football, Jordan Love took control of the game. He challenged an aggressive Saints defense downfield which led to some pass interference penalties, he made plays with his legs when needed, and delivered some beautifully thrown balls. After a brutal fourth quarter a week ago by the Packers offense, they stepped up in a big way today. What a moment for Love.
— The Packers won but there were just way too many miscues in this game that put them in a huge hole. They were called for 11 penalties, one of which was an unsportsmanlike conduct that moved the Saints into Packers’ territory on their second drive and led to a score. A number of those penalties also came on offense, making moving the ball difficult. Jordan Love would miss Luke Musgrave on a deep pass in the first quarter that could have went for a touchdown and when going for it on fourth-down in the first quarter, there was big play potential had the play been executed correctly. Green Bay also gave up a punt return for a touchdown and a sack late in the second quarter took the Packers out of field goal range.
— The Saints came into the game leading the NFL in downfield pass attempts. The Packers were able to limit those opportunities by playing a lot of cover-2, however, that opened up opportunities for Derek Carr underneath and in the flats. It was a pretty passive approach, but it kept points off the board. The Packers just didn’t generate any needed big plays and they also allowed the Saints into field goal range at the end of the game. New Orleans averaged just 4.2 yards per play, however.
— Not surprisingly, without Derek Carr the Saints really struggled to move the ball.
— The run defense was improved, holding New Orleans to under 4.0 yards per rush—although “improved” is a relative term. The Saints were able to find some success stretching the Packers horizontally but that became more difficult for them without Carr in the game. It’s also important to note that the Saints came into the game averaging 3.4 yards per rush and were without Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams.
— The Green Bay run game managed a few decent carries, but for the most part, it was never able to get going consistently, averaging under 4.0 yards per rush. AJ Dillon looked more decisive as a runner at times, although there were several runs where he never had a chance of getting out of the backfield. Without Jones, Patrick Taylor was relied on heavily at the end of the game, especially in the passing game.
— When the Packers were able to put the Saints in third and long situations, they were able to capitalize against a New Orleans offensive line that has struggled this season. Green Bay recorded three third down sacks. Rashan Gary was excellent, recording three sacks of his own.
— Matt LaFleur dialed up a good offensive game plan once again, but a lack of execution early on and eventually playing from behind by three scores – which led to Green Bay getting a bit static at times trying to spread things out – didn’t always reflect that. Even though there weren’t points on the board, the Packers were moving the ball for much of the game.
— LaFleur discussed earlier in the week how aggressive the Saints defense is, and we certainly saw that. It often didn’t matter the situation, their cornerbacks, even without Paulson Adebo, were challenging the Packers receivers at the line of scrimmage. They played a lot of cover-1 and crowded the line of scrimmage. The Green Bay receivers struggled to make contested catches.
— The Packers ran a heavy dose of play-action to help combat the Saints aggressive play-style.
— In pass protection, the Packers offensive line held up well. Without David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins, Rasheed Walker was at left tackle and Royce Newman at left guard. Also, Jordan Love’s pocket awareness and ability to escape and feel pressure is really good.
— We all know that Keisean Nixon has big play ability, but taking the ball out of the end zone kickoffs that are 7-plus yards deep have not ended well for the Packers, with him not even making it to the 20 yard line at times the last two weeks.
— It was a battle of strengths between the Packers situational offense and the Saints situational defense. The Saints won the battle early on, limiting the Packers ability to move the chains on third downs and keeping them out of the end zone, but in the end, the Packers were 2-for-3 inside the New Orleans 20-yard line, taking advantage of their opportunities.
— In the first two games, the Packers went to Luke Musgrave early on in the game but then he would go quiet in the second half. Against the Saints, he saw more consistent targets throughout the game. He is such a matchup problem that he has to be a regular target within the passing game.
— Matt LaFleur and Keisean Nixon teased the idea of him getting some offensive snaps this season. In the first half, Nixon lined up at receiver and had an 11 yard run on an end-around.
— The Saints came into the game as PFF’s highest graded special teams unit and they dominated for much of the game in that regard. There was the punt return that Green Bay allowed and from a return standpoint, the Packers had really no running lanes. However, a missed field goal at the end resulted in them losing the game.
— De’Vondre Campbell left with an ankle injury and Carrington Valentine with a biceps injury. Zach Tom left with a knee injury.
