Tag: New Orleans Saints

How to buy Green Bay Packers vs. New Orleans Saints NFL Week 16 tickets

Want to watch the Packers and Saints battle on Monday Night Football in person in Week 16? Tickets start as low as $116.

The Green Bay Packers are looking to use their “Monday Night Football” clash with the New Orleans Saints as a prime-time opportunity to clinch a place in the 2024 NFL postseason.

With a win on their home turf of Lambeau Field, the Packers (10-4) are in. It’s that simple.

While it’s a long shot, a look at the NFC North title is not yet off the table, either.

Even so, New Orleans will not just hand it to them, especially with a national audience watching.

The Saints (5-9) are just playing for pride at this point. While not mathematically eliminated, the postseason is all but over for New Orleans.

However, with Spencer Rattler looking like the starter under center, Saints fans could get a look at their future in primetime.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Packers vs. Saints tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/W4EXjpq/”]

There is plenty to watch for both sides in this one.

This upcoming matchup kicks off on Monday, Dec. 23, at 8:15 p.m. from Lambeau Field.

Don’t miss out on your chance to see it in person. Act soon to catch this Monday Night Football matchup as only limited Packers vs. Saints tickets are still available.

How to buy Packers vs. Saints NFL tickets

Playoff picture aside, “Monday Night Football” is always a spectacle. It can bring the best out in any team, any week.

Here’s what you need to know.

At the time of publication, the cheapest available tickets for the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints are $116.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Packers vs. Saints tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/W4EXjpq/”]

Packers vs. Saints preview: Get to know Green Bay’s Week 16 opponent

Previewing the New Orleans Saints before the Packers host the Saints on Monday night at Lambeau Field in Week 16.

The Green Bay Packers will have an opportunity to clinch a spot in the NFC playoffs when they host the New Orleans Saints on “Monday Night Football” at Lambeau Field in Week 16.

The Saints started 2-0 but have lost nine of the last 12 games to limp to a 5-9 record. Dennis Allen was fired after a 2-7 start, and Darren Rizzi has led the Saints to a 3-2 record over the last five.

Injuries have decimated the Saints, especially on offense. Derek Carr isn’t expected to play, and several other important players are out or injured.

Here’s a closer look at the Saints entering Week 16:

Last week (Loss, 20-19 to Commanders)

The Saints fell behind 14-0 in the first half, 17-0 early in the second half and 20-7 early in the fourth quarter, but New Orleans rallied late — scoring three straight times to set up a game-deciding two-point conversion attempt. It failed, and the Saints’ comeback attempt ended one point short. Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler hit Foster Moreau for a touchdown with no time remaining before the failed two-point try. Moreau caught four passes, Alvin Kamara caught a touchdown pass and former Packer Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught a 39-yard pass and a 25-yard pass. The Saints defense delivered eight sacks of rookie Jayden Daniels, including two each from Cameron Jordan and Chase Young. New Orleans is battling injury offensively, but the defense is still an effective group.

Quarterback play

The guess here is that rookie Spencer Rattler will get the start at quarterback. Derek Carr is battling a left hand injury and isn’t expected to play, and backup Jake Haener was pulled in favor of Rattler against the Commanders. A fifth-round pick, Rattler completed 10 of 21 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown last week. Over four appearances, Rattler has completed 57.5 percent of passes, thrown two touchdown passes and two interceptions and averaged 5.9 yards per attempt — good for a passer rating of 73.1. The Saints lost all three of Rattler’s starts previously this season. He’s small (6-0, 211) but an effective scrambler. He’s also been sacked 14 times in limited action, while producing eight turnover-worthy plays.

Line of scrimmage

The Saints have struggled up front on offense. At Pro Football Focus, the Saints rank 30th in pass-block grade but also 11th in run-block grade. New Orleans is averaging 4.4 yards per rushing attempt. The offensive line is big and full of top picks — including first-rounders Trevor Penning and Taliese Fuaga at the tackles and Cesar Ruiz at right guard. Former Packer Lucas Patrick handles left guard. Penning and Fuaga have both allowed more than 30 pressures while combining for 20 penalties this season. Erik McCoy is an elite run blocker at center. Defensively, the Saints rank 30th in yards per carry allowed at 4.9 and 31st in run defense grade at PFF. The pass rush is a potential strength. Chase Young, Carl Granderson, Bryan Bresee and Cameron Jordan all have over 25 pressures. Running the football will be important to set the tone up front for the Packers.

Turnovers

The Saints are plus-1 in the turnover department this season — 15 giveaways against 16 takeaways. New Orleans is just 1-3 when turning the ball over two or more times but also 1-3 when not turning the ball over at all. Four of the Saints’ five wins have come when getting at least one turnover. Spencer Rattler has thrown two picks but is certainly turnover-prone as a young, inexperienced quarterback. Veteran safety Tyrann Mathieu has three interceptions and two forced fumbles, so he’s still doing Honey Badger things. The Saints have nine players who have forced a fumble.

Injury situation

Starting quarterback Derek Carr (hand) isn’t expected to play. Receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed are both on injured reserve. So is do-it-all tight end Taysom Hill and cornerback Paulson Adebo. The injury to watch this week is running back Alvin Kamara’s groin injury. He could be a long shot to play Monday night. Also, cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry and receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling exited the Saints’ loss to the Commanders with injuries.

Players to know

Edge rusher Carl Granderson: He quietly has back-to-back seasons with 50 or more pressures. Granderson had five pressures and a sack last week.

LB Demario Davis: The veteran linebacker is still capable of excellent performances, especially against the run. He produced another 100-tackle season in 2024.

WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling: The former Packer has a catch of at least 20 yards in five straight games, including catches of 67 yards and 71 yards. He’s averaging 25.1 yards per catch with the Saints. But he’s also dropped three passes on 23 targets.

TE Foster Moreau: He’s averaging 9.7 yards per target with four touchdown catches this season. The veteran tight end has become a bigger part of the offense since Taysom Hill went down.

CB Alontae Taylor: No cornerback in football has missed more tackles (18) or allowed more catches (68) this season, but he’s also defensed 13 passes, a team high.

How to buy Green Bay Packers vs. New Orleans Saints NFL Week 16 tickets

Want to watch the Packers and Saints battle on Monday Night Football in person in Week 16? Tickets start as low as $116.

The Green Bay Packers are looking to use their “Monday Night Football” clash with the New Orleans Saints as a prime-time opportunity to clinch a place in the 2024 NFL postseason.

With a win on their home turf of Lambeau Field, the Packers (10-4) are in. It’s that simple.

While it’s a long shot, a look at the NFC North title is not yet off the table, either.

Even so, New Orleans will not just hand it to them, especially with a national audience watching.

The Saints (5-9) are just playing for pride at this point. While not mathematically eliminated, the postseason is all but over for New Orleans.

However, with Spencer Rattler looking like the starter under center, Saints fans could get a look at their future in primetime.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Packers vs. Saints tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/W4EXjpq/”]

There is plenty to watch for both sides in this one.

This upcoming matchup kicks off on Monday, Dec. 23, at 8:15 p.m. from Lambeau Field.

Don’t miss out on your chance to see it in person. Act soon to catch this Monday Night Football matchup as only limited Packers vs. Saints tickets are still available.

How to buy Packers vs. Saints NFL tickets

Playoff picture aside, “Monday Night Football” is always a spectacle. It can bring the best out in any team, any week.

Here’s what you need to know.

At the time of publication, the cheapest available tickets for the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints are $116.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Packers vs. Saints tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/W4EXjpq/”]

Saints PFF grades: Best, worst players from loss to Commanders in Week 15

Who were the best and worst players from the Saints’ Week 15 loss to the Washington Commanders according to the PFF grading system?

The New Orleans Saints have made their way to 5-9 on the season after a 20-19 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 15. This loss leaves them on the precipice of being eliminated from the playoffs for the season, and ultimately with a decent shot of a solid draft pick.

As much as the Saints wanted to get back into this game, bringing it within a failed two-point conversion of winning the game, they fell short despite some strong individual performances on the team.

The PFF grades from this week coincide well with this fact, there are some players who had exceptionally high grades, and then it falls off to be about average or below average when you get beyond the players who performed extremely well. The Saints did not perform exceptionally well all around, and this is reflected in their respective grades.

Based on the Pro Football Focus grading system, here are the best and worse players from the Saints’ Week 15 loss to the Commanders:

Top 5 offense

  1. C Erik McCoy: 78.9
  2. TE Foster Moreau: 77.1
  3. WR Cedrick Wilson Jr: 74.6
  4. OT Taliese Fuaga: 72.6
  5. RB Alvin Kamara: 70.5

The Saints offensive line was very hit or miss in this game, but that was certainly not the fault of Erik McCoy or Taliese Fuaga, who both had outstanding games. McCoy came in with a whopping 91.1 run blocking grade, and Fuaga had a 90.9 pass blocking grade, with both players being near the top for the Saints. Cedrick Wilson Jr. managed a 83.0 run block grade on the day which is rather impressive as well. Kamara and Moreau both got on the list because of their contributions in the receiving game, with a 90.9 and 90.1 pass play grade respectively.

Top 5 Defense

  1. DE Carl Granderson: 87.0
  2. CB Shemar Jean-Charles: 84.9
  3. LB Demario Davis: 72.6
  4. DE Payton Turner: 71.9

T-5. CB Kool-Aid McKinstry: 71.3

T-5. LB Willie Gay: 71.3

The defense for the Saints graded out pretty well in comparison to previous weeks, especially Carl Granderson who played a total of 53 snaps and put together an 87.0 grade, leading the team. Shemar Jean-Charles was only put into the game late, with a total of 9 defensive snaps, but he was targeted once and forced a PBU so not bad all things considered. Demario Davis had an outstanding day as well, with 78 total snaps, 10 tackles, 2 pressures, a sack, and only 1 missed tackle in that span. Overall a very strong day from the defense up top.

Bottom 5 offense

  1. TE Juwan Johnson: 43.5
  2. LG Lucas Patrick: 48.0
  3. RT Trevor Penning: 49.1
  4. QB Jake Haener: 54.5
  5. WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 55.0

When I mentioned the offensive line having a poor day but it not reflecting on Fuaga or McCoy, it most certainly reflected on the others, as Lucas Patrick and Trevor Penning both had grades under 50, which indicates extremely poor play according to PFF grading. Juwan Johnson was also worth noting here, considering his drops throughout the game and generally a quiet performance from him even without them. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was an interesting one given his big-time second half reception to kick off the Saints offense, and PFF did list him as a 45.1 grade on passing downs, which is interesting to say the least. Jake Haener was relatively self-explanatory, not much to speak of offensively with him and shorted out the offense when he was on the field, taking only 21 snaps in the first half before being benched for Spencer Rattler.

Bottom 5 Defense

  1. DE Isaiah Foskey: 40.9
  2. DT Bryan Bresee: 50.0
  3. CB Alontae Taylor: 51.7
  4. CB Ugo Amadi: 53.3
  5. FS Tyrann Mathieu: 58.8

Some unusual suspects on the negative end of the PFF grading system from Week 15, with three of the five players being regular starters in Bresee, Taylor, and Mathieu. Unfortunately this mostly reflects on the first half of play, where the Saints defense had trouble stopping both the run and the pass, which negatively impacted those who got tied to those plays. Bresee had a down day compared to the past few weeks, with only 3 pressures and no sacks when most of the defensive line was producing, primarily because he seemed to be taking on double teams at a high rate.

Special teams

Special teams had a somewhat middle of the road day outside the top few players, with Shemar Jean-Charles (81.0), J.T. Gray (71.2) and Zach Wood (63.9) being the only three players with grades above a 61. Most of the team resided in the range of 60 to 61 in terms of grades, however on the other end, there were some players with sub-50 grades as well. Adam Prentice (43.7), Rico Payton (40.4), Isaiah Foskey (38.1), and Payton Turner (37.4) were those who ended up on the negative side of things for special teams, and ultimately that was primarily due to penalties or missed plays.

quarterback play

The quarterback play in this game was between Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler. As we previously mentioned, Haener had a 54.5 grade overall, and this was due to a 55.9 passing grade and a 57.9 rushing grade. Spencer Rattler graded out a decent clip better, coming up with a 69.0 overall grade and 68.4 passing grade. Funny enough, Cedrick Wilson Jr. came out with the best passing grade on the day, with a 74.6 offensive grade and 71.0 passing grade.

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At least one of Teddy Bridgewater’s former teams won’t be signing him this season

Teddy Bridgewater has his eyes on an NFL comeback, but it doesn’t sound like one of his former teams is interested, at least not until after the 2024 season:

Former New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has his eyes on an NFL comeback after leading his Miami Northwestern High School alma mater to a state championship win, but one of his former teams won’t be signing him, at least before the 2024 season is over.

You’d think the hometown Miami Dolphins would be open to signing him given proximity, Tua Tagovailoa’s injury history and the spotty play of his backups, but head coach Mike McDaniel didn’t suggest anything is imminent when asked about it.

“He’s a young, spry 32,” McDaniel told reporters on Wednesday. “He has years in him. So we’ll see if the comedown stays consistent from his championship win. I support him doing whatever. He’s one of my favorites.”

McDaniel added that he and many of Bridgewater’s former teammates were watching Miami Northwestern’s title game after keeping tabs on them throughout the season, and while he’s a fan of the quarterback a change to the depth chart isn’t something on his mind.

“I’ve been preparing for the San Francisco 49ers. Outside of shooting a text of congratulations to him, it’s not his style to even enter into those conversations before the season’s over anyway just because he knows other guys are trying to do their jobs as well. But I’m sure we’ll connect when the season’s over, I’ll be very interested to see if he’s still in the same mindset,” McDaniel continued.

So while it sounds like there’s a chance for Bridgewater to return to the pros in Miami, that won’t be happening until after the Super Bowl in February, at least given where everyone currently stands. Bridgewater’s stated goal has been to join a team for the rest of the 2024 season (and potentially the playoffs) before returning to coach high school ball in February. Those timelines don’t line up. If the Dolphins aren’t interested in signing Bridgewater for the rest of the regular season, maybe another team he’s played for before like the Saints or Detroit Lions could be a better fit.

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Teddy Bridgewater shares unexpected connections with 2024 Saints team

Teddy Bridgewater, who plans to make an NFL return in the near future, shares some surprising connections with the Saints’ new-look coaching staff:

Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has announced that he plans to make an NFL return in the upcoming weeks, and while the Saints may not be the most likely landing spot, he does share some intriguing connections with their current offensive staff. Beyond his two-season stint from 2018-2019 with the Saints, there are some former faces he may recognize from around the league currently on the Saints coaching staff as well.

First up is current Saints quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, who worked with the Minnesota Vikings from 2015 to 2017, which overlaps with three of the four seasons Teddy Bridgewater played for the Vikings. While Janocko was not a quarterbacks coach at the time, he was an offensive quality control assistant for the first two of those seasons before moving to be an assistant offensive line coach, so they likely worked together in those first two seasons.

Another notable coaching overlap is current Saints senior offensive assistant Rick Dennison, who was the offensive line coach and run game coordinator in 2018 for the New York Jets, where Bridgewater spent his offseason before being traded to the Saints prior to the season.

Interim head coach Darren Rizzi and general manager Mickey Loomis would ultimately make the calls on any potential signing if one were in the works, and both of them were obviously here during the time frame Bridgewater was, and got to see how successful he was in the absence of Drew Brees during his thumb injury. We will see where Bridgewater ultimately ends up, but there are definitely a few notable ties between him and the current Saints staff (as well as the roster) worth noting.

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Saints’ defense putting together some of their worst performances since 2015

The Saints defense has done well in the red zone recently, but they rank 30th in this key defensive statistic. It’s their worst showing since 2015:

The New Orleans Saints defense has been extremely hit or miss this season, as early on they were getting gashed on many different types of plays and struggled to maintain any resemblance of protection against the run. However, in recent weeks they have stepped up in not allowing points, but still giving up an obscene amount of yards.

This has been one of the killing points of the Saints’ defense this season, as they allow significant time of possession defensively due to their struggles against the run game and against third down scenarios.

As of the end of Week 15, the Saints rank 30th in yards allowed this season, behind only the Jacksonville Jaguars (5,549) and Carolina Panthers (5,407), where the Saints have given up 5,272. However, the intriguing part of this comes when you look at the point differential of these teams, where the Jaguars have a -114 and the Panthers have a -171, while the Saints have only a -3, showing how effective they are in the red zone.

Unfortunately, yards do matter however, especially when it comes to time of possession which the Washington Commanders dominated in the most recent game, where they held the ball for a whopping 40 minutes and 50 seconds to the Saints’ 19 minutes and 10 seconds.

Who knows if this really has had a major impact overall, as the offense has been a key factor in why the Saints have been such a net negative team this season. But regardless, it is eye popping, considering the Saints have not ranked this low in the yards allowed category since 2015.

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Why didn’t Saints dress out veteran DL after activating him from injury?

Why wasn’t Tanoh Kpassagnon available against the Washington Commanders after being activated from the PUP list? Darren Rizzi has answers:

The New Orleans Saints defensive line had an outstanding day against the Washington Commanders in Week 15, putting together an 8-sack performance with 25 pressures as well. With that said, they did so without the aid of Tanoh Kpassagnon, who is recovering from his torn Achilles and has been making strides in practice, getting ever closer to playing once again.

However, despite practicing fully leading up to this game, he was not active, and interim head coach Darren Rizzi shared some context as to why, telling reporters afterwards that it was more about the game plan than Kpassagnon’s health. He says the veteran defensive lineman is ready to play.

Clearly the gameplan was correctly set up, as the pass rush was enormously successful. Getting depth back along the defensive line is always a bonus however, especially a veteran who knows what he’s doing. Kpassagnon has 3.0 sacks in 3 games against the Green Bay Packers (the next Saints opponent), so we will see if he gets included for the Week 16 game instead.

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Losing in Week 15 did not help the Saints’ 2025 draft position

Losing to the Washington Commanders didn’t even come with a silver lining of a better pick in the 2025 draft. Here’s where the New Orleans Saints slot in:

The New Orleans Saints are in somewhat of an ugly position when it comes to competing for the NFC South division lead, as they sit at 5-9 with a less than one-percent chance of making the playoffs. However, the positive in most cases like this would be the notion that they may have improved their draft stock by losing in Week 15…well in this case it did not.

The Saints came into week 15 marked down for the No.10 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and after the loss, they remained in that slot which unfortunately did not improve as many of the struggling teams lost as well that week. As of the writing of this article, the current draft order goes as follows:

  1. Las Vegas Raiders (2-12)
  2. New York Giants (2-12)
  3. New England Patriots (3-11)
  4. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-11)
  5. Carolina Panthers (3-11)
  6. Tennessee Titans (3-11)
  7. Cleveland Browns (3-11)
  8. New York Jets (4-10)
  9. Chicago Bears (4-10)
  10. New Orleans Saints (5-9)

Fortunately for the Saints, they are the only 5-9 team in the NFL right now, so a win would not immediately drop them off the map of having a decent pick still. In addition, a win from the Jets or Bears and a loss from the Saints would move them ahead, as the Saints have the tiebreaker of a lower strength of schedule, meaning they’d get preference for a better pick in a tie. We will see how these final three weeks pan out for the NFL, but the Saints could end up with a top-10 pick when all is said and done.

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Former Saints quarterback plans to make NFL return

Former Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater plans to make an NFL return, then head back to coach high school football in February:

Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, now head coach of Miami Northwestern High School in Florida, has announced that he may be returning to the NFL in a playing capacity for a few months while he has availability from now until February when he returns to coach.

This news came live on The Insiders show from NFL Media, where Bridgewater said the following when asked about “Coach Teddy’s upcoming plans.”

“Coach Teddy, hopefully I mean, we’ll see how these next week and a half two weeks play out,” Bridgewater said. “Might be signing with a team or something, and then returning back to coach high school football in February. So, we’ll see.”

Then when asked if he is coming back to the NFL or going pro somewhere, he responded with, “That’s the plan man, my team know that’s the plan. We wanted to win a state championship, and then coach goes back to the league, see what happens, and then come back February in the offseason, continue coaching high school football. So, we’ll see how it plays out.”

Ultimately the next few weeks will indicate where he signs next, and the likelihood of a playoff contender he knows well like the Detroit Lions being a landing spot for his return is speculatively possible. The Saints could use better depth at quarterback given Derek Carr’s injury, too. Regardless of where he goes next, Bridgewater will forever have a legacy with New Orleans.

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