Tag: Green Bay Packers

Instant analysis of Packers’ 34-0 win over Saints in Week 16

Instant analysis of the Packers’ 34-0 win over the Saints in Week 16.

The Green Bay Packers went over 30 points for the fifth straight game and delivered the NFL’s first shutout of the 2024 season in a 34-0 win over the New Orleans Saints on “Monday Night Football” from Lambeau Field.

Now 11-4, the Packers have officially clinched a playoff berth in the NFC field.

Here is an instant analysis of the Packers’ win over the Saints in Week 16:

Final score: Packers 34, Saints 0

1 2 3 4 F
NO (5-10) 0 0 0 0 0
GB (11-4) 7 14 3 10 34

Live scoring

First quarter

GB 7, NO 0: Dontayvion Wicks 2-yard catch (8:41)

Second quarter

GB 14, NO 0: Josh Jacobs 2-yard run (11:43)
GB 21, NO 0: Chris Brooks 1-yard run (0:32)

Third quarter

GB 24, NO 0: Brandon McManus 55-yard field goal (7:03)

Fourth quarter

GB 27, NO 0: Brandon McManus 46-yard field goal (7:13)
GB 34, NO 0: Emanuel Wilson 1-yard run (2:41)

It was over when…

… Zayne Anderson intercepted Spencer Rattler inside the 10-yard line with the Packers leading 24-0 in the third quarter. The Saints never truly threatened again.

Game balls

Offense — RB Josh Jacobs: He barely played in the second half but still managed to produce 107 total yards and a touchdown on 17 total touches.

Defense — DE Brenton Cox Jr.: He produced another sack, finished with two quarterback hits and was in on probably a half-dozen other pressures of Spencer Rattler.

Special teams — K Brandon McManus: He comfortably made field goals of 55 yards (season long) and 46 yards and was 4-for-4 on extra points. The veteran has become automatic.

Key stat

188: The Packers dominated on the ground, rushing 39 times for 188 yards and three scores. Nine different players had a rushing attempt. Josh Jacobs, Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks combined for 144 yards and three touchdowns.

Deciding factor

Another fast start: Last week, the Packers scored on four straight possessions to grab a 20-0 lead in Seattle. This week, the Packers got three straight touchdown drives to establish a 21-0 lead in the first half. Game over.

Jordan Love watch

Love started fast, throwing a touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks on third down to finish the first drive and hitting Tucker Kraft for a pair of explosive plays on the two other touchdown drives in the first half. But he cooled off and finished just 16 of 28 passing for 182 yards and a touchdown — good for a passer rating of 88.0. He had a couple of passes knocked down and wasn’t pin-point accurate down the stretch. A near interception was dropped on a deflected pass. Credit the Packers for scoring over 30 points and winning comfortably without a top performance from their quarterback.

Play of the game

This play set the tone. Well blocked up front, and Josh Jacobs finishing the run with power. The 20-yard run set up the Packers’ opening drive touchdown.

Injury updates

Receiver Christian Watson exited with a knee injury. Linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper left with an injury early but returned.

What’s next

A trip to Minneapolis to play the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium next Sunday. The NFL flexed the game to the 3:25 p.m. timeslot on FOX, so it’ll be a nationally televised game.

NFC North update

The Lions beat the Bears and the Vikings came back to beat the Seahawks on Sunday, eliminating the Packers from contention for the NFC North title. The Lions and Vikings are both 13-2. The best the Packers can hope for now is getting the No. 5 seed as a wildcard.

Packers steamroll Saints on MNF, clinch playoff berth

The Green Bay Packers are playoff bound after cruising past the Saints on “Monday Night Football” in Week 16.

The Green Bay Packers cruised past the short-handed New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field on Monday night, clinching a playoff spot in the NFC postseason with a 34-0 win.

The Packers are now 11-4 entering the final two weeks and will play in the postseason for the fifth time in six years under coach Matt LaFleur. The Packers are playoff bound for the second time in as many years to start the Jordan Love era.

The Packers got touchdowns from Dontayvion Wicks, Josh Jacobs and Chris Brooks to build a 21-0 lead at the half, and a dominant defensive effort and a couple of field goals from Brandon McManus ensured a comfortable win at home over a Saints team missing Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave and Taysom Hill, among others.

The shutout from the Packers was the first in the NFL this season.

Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler turned the ball over twice in Green Bay territory — once on a strip sack from Keisean Nixon and another on an interception from Zayne Anderson.

Jordan Love hit Wicks for a touchdown on the opening drive and found Tucker Kraft and Jayden Reed for completions of 30 or more yards, but he finished 16 of 28 passing for 182 yards and a passer rating of 88.7, snapping his five-game streak with a passer rating over 100.0.

Brooks scored his first career touchdown, while Anderson grabbed his first career interception in his first career start.

Backup Malik Willis led a touchdown drive after replacing Love in the fourth quarter. Emanuel Wilson finished it off with a short touchdown run that put the Packers up 34-0.

The Packers remain the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoff field. LaFleur’s team will go to Minnesota to play the 13-2 Minnesota Vikings next Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium before finishing the regular season at home against the Chicago Bears. While the NFC North title is no longer in play, the Packers can still finish 13-4 and secure the No. 5 seed with the right results over the final two weeks.

Packers fans at Lambeau Field started roasting the Bears out of boredom during the Saints rout

When you’re bored, you’re bored.

The Green Bay Packers spent most of this week’s Monday Night Football trouncing the visiting New Orleans Saints.

However, the fans at Lambeau Field got a little restless during the rout.

Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Packers fans reportedly got so bored late in the game that they started chanting “the Bears still suck” while Green Bay was on offense.

Pelissero said the loud fans prompted the Green Bay public announcer to hush the crowd and give the Packers offense a quieter atmosphere in which to operate.

Seriously, that’s how lopsided this game was. The Packers fans got so tired of watching Green Bay thump New Orleans that they decided to troll the Chicago Bears instead.

The NFC North rivalries run deep, folks. Merry Christmas!

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Packers S Zayne Anderson grabs first career INT in first career start

Packers safety Zayne Anderson intercepted a pass in his first career start on Monday night against the Saints.

In his first career start in the National Football League, Green Bay Packers safety Zayne Anderson grabbed his first career interception.

With the New Orleans Saints driving in the third quarter, Anderson — who started at safety next to Xavier McKinney — made a leaping interception of Spencer Rattler’s throw down the field to preserve the Packers’ 24-0 lead on Monday night at Lambeau Field.

Here’s the first career interception for Anderson:

Anderson, now in his fourth NFL season, is playing in his 32nd career game and 25th career game with the Packers. Primarily a special teamer, Anderson was thrust into starting duty against the Saints with Javon Bullard and Evan Williams both inactive while dealing with injuries.

Anderson went undrafted out of BYU in 2021. He intercepted three passes over 50 games and six collegiate seasons.

Anderson isn’t the only former BYU player to enjoy a career first at Lambeau Field on Monday night. Running back Chris Brooks, who played for BYU in 2022, scored his first career touchdown in the first half.

Packers RB Chris Brooks scores first career NFL touchdown

Green Bay Packers running back Chris Brooks scored his first touchdown of the 2024 season and the first touchdown of his NFL career on Monday night against the New Orleans Saints. 

Green Bay Packers running back Chris Brooks scored his first touchdown of the 2024 season and the first touchdown of his NFL career on Monday night against the New Orleans Saints.

Brooks, who is playing in his 22nd NFL regular season game, scored from 1-yard out to give the Packers a 21-0 lead over the Saints in the second quarter of the Week 16 showdown at Lambeau Field.

Here’s the first career touchdown for Brooks:

Brooks went undrafted out of BYU in 2023.

The touchdown came on Brooks’ 33rd touch of the 2024 season. He came into Monday night with 22 rushes for 101 yards and 10 catches for 67 yards while providing excellent pass protection from the backfield.

The Packers signed Brooks to the 53-man roster in September. He’s playing in his 13th game for Green Bay this season after appearing in nine games for the Dolphins as an undrafted rookie in 2023.

While Josh Jacobs has scored 13 rushing touchdowns this season, Brooks just became the sixth Packers player to score a rushing touchdown in 2024, joining Jacobs, Emanuel Wilson, Jayden Reed, Malik Willis and Jordan Love. The Packers now have 18 rushing touchdowns this season.

Jason Kelce dressed like Santa and spread holiday cheer to Packers fans in Green Bay

Santa Kelce!

Former NFL center-turned-ESPN broadcaster Jason Kelce was feeling the holiday spirit in Green Bay this week.

Along with Scott Van Pelt and Stanford Steve, Kelce dressed like Santa Claus and delivered presents to various Packers fans around the area during ESPN Monday Night Football pregame coverage.

This is pretty delightful, as “Santa Kelce” hanging out with SVP dressed like Buddy the Elf, Stanford Steve dressed like a festive Packers elf and Green Bay’s most faithful fans is the kind of pregame coverage we love to see.

We hope that these Packers fans got what they wished for from “Santa Kelce,” even if wishing for a Green Bay win against the Philadelphia Eagles any time soon would land you a lump of coal.

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Packers take 7-0 lead over Saints on Dontayvion Wicks TD

The Packers finished off a 10-play scoring drive with a Dontayvion Wicks TD against the Saints on Monday night.

The Green Bay Packers drove 63 yards in 10 plays and used a 2-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Love to Dontayvion Wicks to take a 7-0 lead over the New Orleans Saints on the opening drive of Monday night’s showdown at Lambeau Field.

The Saints won the coin toss and defer. The Packers took the ball and quickly grabbed a lead.

Love completed all four of his passes for 24 yards, including the touchdown pass on third down in the red zone. Josh Jacobs handled six touches and gained 40 total yards, including a run for 20 yards and a catch for 11. Four different players had touches, including one each for Tucker Kraft and Jayden Reed.

Here’s the Love-to-Wicks touchdown:

The Packers converted a pair of third down and turned their first red-zone opportunity into seven points. The drive took over six minutes.

The Packers took a 7-0 lead in Seattle last week and led the whole way.

Joe Buck unleashed a wacky Grinch impression during MNF after seeing costumed Packers fan

You’re a mean one, Mr. Buck!

It’s almost Christmas, which means NFL fans decked out in their holiday best for Monday Night Football in Green Bay.

As Joe Buck and Troy Aikman discussed the night’s Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints game, the camera cut to a fan in the stands at Lambeau Field dressed as The Grinch.

Buck must’ve felt something festive come over him because he busted out a Jim Carrey Grinch impression right in the middle of the ESPN broadcast.

He did a decent job, honestly! If you close your eyes, you can kind of hear Mount Crumpit’s grouchy Grinch yelling at his dog, Max.

We give Buck a “G” for his impression, if only because that’s how The Grinch would want it.

Now, let’s hope Buck and Aikman don’t hitch a ride on a sleigh and steal Christmas.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

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Live score, updates and highlights from Packers vs. Saints in MNF in Week 16

Follow along with Packers Wire for live updates and highlights from Packers vs. Saints in Week 16 of the 2024 season on Sunday.

The Green Bay Packers can officially clinch a playoff spot in the NFC field for the fifth time in six seasons under coach Matt LaFleur and for the second time in as many years of the Jordan Love era with a win over the New Orleans Saints on Monday night at Lambeau Field.

The Packers are big betting favorites against the short-handed Saints. Can LaFleur’s team get the job done at home in primetime?

Follow along with Packers Wire for live updates and highlights from Packers vs. Saints in Week 16:

Final score: Packers 34, Saints 0

1 2 3 4 F
NO (5-10) 0 0 0 0 0
GB (11-4) 7 14 3 10 34

Live scoring

First quarter

GB 7, NO 0: Dontayvion Wicks 2-yard catch (8:41)

Second quarter

GB 14, NO 0: Josh Jacobs 2-yard run (11:43)
GB 21, NO 0: Chris Brooks 1-yard run (0:32)

Third quarter

GB 24, NO 0: Brandon McManus 55-yard field goal (7:03)

Fourth quarter

GB 27, NO 0: Brandon McManus 46-yard field goal (7:13)
GB 34, NO 0: Emanuel Wilson 1-yard run (2:41)

Updates, highlights

Packers without four defensive starters: The Saints are lacking a ton of firepower on offense, including quarterback Derek Carr and running back Alvin Kamara, but the Packers will be without four starters on defense: linebacker Quay Walker, cornerback Jaire Alexander, defensive back Javon Bullard and safety Evan Williams are all inactive with injuries. This could be a good test for Jeff Hafley’s unexpectedly short-handed defense. The Saints will start rookie Spencer Rattler at quarterback.

Packers open with TD: Jordan Love completed four passes, Josh Jacobs produced 40 total yards and Dontayvion Wicks finished off the 63-yard march with a 2-yard touchdown catch. The 10-play drive took over six minutes and required two third-down conversions. Like last week, the Packers lead 7-0 after one drive.

Packers go on marathon TD drive: The Packers took a 14-0 lead after driving 96 yards in 17 plays. Green Bay converted two third downs and two fourth downs, and Josh Jacobs finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. Matt LaFleur’s team is cruising.

Packers in control: A third drive meant a third touchdown. Chris Brooks scored a 1-yard touchdown to put the Packers up 21-0. Six plays, 67 yards. Christian Watson turned two touches into 23 yards, and Tucker Kraft had a 30-yard catch.

And now a takeaway: The Packers defense is pitching a shutout through three drives. The Saints third possession entered Green Bay territory but Keisean Nixon ended it with a strip-sack. Rashan Gary won the race to the fumble.

McManus good from 55: Veteran kicker Brandon McManus booted home a 55-yard field goal — during a night game at Lambeau Field in December — to give the Packers a 24-0 lead. That’s a big-time kick. McManus has been a huge in-season addition.

Another takeaway: The Packers got a second turnover off Spencer Rattler and preserved the shutout (for now) when Zayne Anderson — making his first career start — grabbed his first career interception.

Another McManus FG: Jayden Reed’s 37-yard catch on third down extended the drive and set up another field goal from Brandon McManus, this time from 46 yards out. The Packers lead 27-0 in the fourth quarter. It’s playoff clinching time at Lambeau Field.

Game over: Malik Willis hit Jayden Reed for another 30-yard completion, and Emanuel Wilson powered into the end zone to extend the Packers’ lead to 34-0. Game, set, match. The Packers will be 11-4.

Packers down 4 starters on defense on MNF vs. Saints

The Packers will be without 4 starters on defense against the Saints. Here are the inactives for the Packers and Saints in Week 16.

The Green Bay Packers will be without four preferred starters on defense when they take on the New Orleans Saints on “Monday Night Football” in Week 16.

Linebacker Quay Walker, cornerback Jaire Alexander, rookie defensive back Javon Bullard and rookie safety Evan Williams are all inactive against the Saints. Walker and Bullard were ruled out on Saturday’s final injury report with ankle injuries, while Alexander still isn’t physically ready to return from a knee injury first suffered in late October. Williams suffered a quad injury late in the week and was listed as questionable on the final injury report.

In primetime, a short-handed Saints offense will take on a suddenly short-handed Packers defense.

Isaiah McDuffie, Edgerrin Cooper and Eric Wilson should handle the majority of snaps at linebacker, with Ty’Ron Hopper available as a backup option. In the defensive backfield, expect Keisean Nixon to start in the slot with Carrington Valentine and Eric Stokes outside, and Zayne Anderson could get a first career start next to Xavier McKinney at safety.

Receiver Malik Heath and offensive lineman Jacob Monk are both healthy scratches for the second straight week.

The Saints will be without quarterback Derek Carr, running back Alvin Kamara, receiver Chris Olave, receiver Rashid Shaheed and tight end Taysom Hill. Former Packer Marquez Valdes-Scantling is also inactive.

Packers inactives for Week 16

LB Quay Walker
WR Malik Heath
S Javon Bullard
CB Jaire Alexander
S Evan Williams
OL Jacob Monk

Saints inactives for Week 16

QB Derek Carr
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
RB Alvin Kamara
DT Nathan Shepherd
DT Khristian Boyd