The Green Bay Packers (2-0) and New Orleans Saints (1-1) will face off in a showdown of two NFC contenders on Sunday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
Here’s how the staff at Packers Wire believes the Week 3 matchup with the Saints will go down:
Zach Kruse (2-0): Saints 38, Packers 31
The Saints are far from invincible and they won’t have thousands of screaming fans inside the Superdome, but this still looks like a tough matchup for the Packers, potentially on both sides of the football. The Saints have an experienced secondary and veterans at cornerback, a decent pass-rush headlined by Cameron Jordan, a terrific offensive line, versatile weapons on offense (even without Michael Thomas) and a creative playcaller. The Packers have all the same things, but it’s tough to feel good about Mike Pettine vs. Sean Payton and Drew Brees. I expect Brees to play well and Payton to bamboozle Pettine. The Packers will score points, but not enough. Predicting 38 points for the winner feels conservative.
Jack Wepfer (2-0): Saints 30, Packers 27
My mind is telling me Packers, but my gut is saying Saints. Just when you think you know the narrative of the NFL season, it’ll flip. The Packers and Saints will both be without their top wideouts, but the Saints need this one more and may have a defense more capable of slowing down Aaron Jones than the Packers have in slowing down Alvin Kamara. Honestly, all the momentum says Packers, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they scored more than 30 points to beat a Saints team that’s showing its age. Yet, I’m still going New Orleans as the football gods smite Green Bay for the first time in 2020. I said all offseason the Packers would be a better team with a worse record. This could be one of those games they lose but maintain their offensive identity.
Marty Kauffman (2-0): Packers 31, Saints 28
Both teams enter down their top wide receivers but both still have their future Hall of Fame quarterbacks and dynamic running backs. With Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones for the Packers and Drew Brees and Alvin Kamara for the Saints, I still expect a high scoring game in a fanless dome that’ll come down to the wire. Based on the first two weeks, I’ll give the edge to Rodgers and the Packers offense to score more. The big key of the game will be the team that wins the turnover battle, and Sunday will be the biggest test so far for Green Bay’s defense in 2020.
Anthony Nash (2-0): Packers 35, Saints 28
After posting back-to-back 40+ point games, it’s hard not to pick the Packers to win this game, even if Davante Adams might not be able to play come Sunday night. The biggest advantage the Packers may have, though, is the fact that there won’t be any fans in the Superdome. Playing against a Saints team that looked surprisingly rough last Monday in a stadium with none of its notorious noise could help Green Bay once again keep their offensive hot streak going.
Nolan Stracke (2-0): Packers 38, Saints 31
The biggest break the Packers caught this week will be the fan-less Superdome. The team hasn’t won in NOLA since 1995, so this may be their best chance to break that streak. Both teams are dealing with injuries, but Matt LaFleur seems to know how to get the ball in everyone’s hands. I’m expecting a lot of dual roles from Aaron Jones and Tyler Ervin with Davante Adams listed as doubtful. With Drew Brees and Alvin Kamera on the other sideline, the offense may have to score 30+ points to secure a win. LaFleur and Rodgers haven’t had trouble doing that for the last two weeks.
Joe Kipp (2-0): Packers 34, Saints 31
The Packers will likely be without Davante Adams (hamstring), but that shouldn’t change the game plan too much. The Raiders showed the blueprint for how to win against the Saints last week: dominate time of possession. Las Vegas held the ball for 36:18 against New Orleans on Monday night, which resulted in a 34-24 victory for the Raiders. Through two weeks, the Packers rank first in the NFL in average time of possession (38:01) and have the NFL’s leading rusher (Aaron Jones, 234 yds). The Saints haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 45 straight games, but that didn’t stop the Raiders from trying (Josh Jacobs had 27 rushing attempts). The Packers will undoubtedly be hampered without Adams in the lineup, so the biggest keys will be controlling the clock and dominating the line of scrimmage. Pack by a field goal.
Grant Matheny (2-0): Packers 31, Saints 24
This will be a tough game for the Packers. After getting wins over two teams that frankly are not that good, Green Bay will face a true NFC contender in the Saints. If New Orleans had a healthy Michael Thomas and a home crowd, I think I would lean towards picking the Saints. But because of the circumstances, I am going with Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones will be able to make enough plays for the Packers to escape with a win.
| Writer | Prediction | Score | Record |
| Zach Kruse | Loss | 38-31 | 2-0 |
| Jack Wepfer | Loss | 30-27 | 2-0 |
| Marty Kauffman | Win | 31-28 | 2-0 |
| Anthony Nash | Win | 35-28 | 2-0 |
| Nolan Stracke | Win | 38-31 | 2-0 |
| Joe Kipp | Win | 34-31 | 2-0 |
| Grant Matheny | Win | 31-24 | 2-0 |
[vertical-gallery id=50414]