Packers – Syndication Server

Packers’ big-play ability set to test Saints secondary’s vulnerability

The Packers have the most passing plays to gain 40 or more yards, and the Saints are one of the worst teams at stopping them. That’s a mismatch:

Alontae Taylor and Kool-Aid McKinstry have shown some positive things at cornerback since the New Orleans Saints traded away Marshon Lattimore. There have been lapses in technique occasionally too, however. The one thing the Saints secondary has objectively struggled with is stopping big plays. That will be challenged against the Green Bay Packers.

New Orleans has allowed the third-most passing plays of over 40 yards this season. Because of that, they’ve also allowed the fifth most yards. On Monday Night Football, they have to line up across from the passing attack with the most gains of 40-plus yards this season.

Green Bay has two wide receivers (Christian Watson and Jayden Reed) with receptions that gained more than 60 yards. Romeo Doubs has a 39-yard reception and Dontayvion Wicks caught a 36-yard pass earlier this season, too. Essentially, the Packers have four receivers who can stretch the field and a young quarterback who isn’t afraid to lean on them.

It’s not just about air yards when thinking about explosive plays. New Orleans has struggled with corralling receivers at the catch point as well, which has led to too many yards gained after the catch. When it comes to the Green Bay receiving corps, they have the ability to stretch the field and make a play with the ball in their hands. The Saints’ young duo must be on top of their game.

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Saints QB coach takes unique step to prepare for Monday’s frigid weather

It’s hard to prepare for Wisconsin weather in New Orleans, but QB coach Andrew Janocko took a unique approach inspired by “Cool Runnings”

The New Orleans Saints play in sunny Louisiana, and the Green Bay Packers play in frigid Wisconsin. The differences in climate make it difficult to simulate the weather the Saints are about to endure when they play the Packers on Monday night, so quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko has had to get creative.

Current forecasts have the weather at 25 degrees on Monday night at Lambeau Field, with a possibility for snow. Meanwhile, it is over 40 degrees in New Orleans. So what were the Saints to do?

A lot has been made of the improvements to the team cafeteria this summer (as part of construction on the facilities that moved training camp to California), but the Saints probably didn’t think they’d be practicing in the walk-in freezers. To attempt to prepare for the Wisconsin weather, Janocko had Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener run through plays in the cafeteria freezer, set at a frosty 10 degrees.

“Hopefully it’s not 10 degrees (at Lambeau Field), but we’ll be ready,” Rattler said this week.

Janocko got the innovative idea from Cool Runnings, the classic 1993 film about the Jamaican Olympics bobsled team. While he opted to put the quarterbacks in the freezer instead of an ice cream truck, Janocko said the reactions to the innovative move were positive: “(The) guys thought it was hilarious. The cafeteria workers think I’m out of my mind.”

For a team that rarely experiences this type of weather, this was a creative way to give the quarterbacks a chance to feel a semblance of the weather they’re about to walk into.

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Saints planning for ‘a committee approach’ with Alvin Kamara on the mend

The New Orleans Saints are planning to use ‘a committee approach’ with Alvin Kamara on the mend, but expect a lot of Kendre Miller:

The New Orleans Saints are going into Week 16 without their top two rushing options. Taysom Hill is out for the season, and Alvin Kamara will miss at least this week with a groin injury.

So, how will the Saints approach the run game against the Green Bay Packers? Darren Rizzi told reporters this week to expect a “committee approach.”

New addition Clyde Edwards-Helaire wasn’t mentioned, and he will probably need more than a few days to pick up the playbook. For now he’s on the practice squad.

Kendre Miller leading the team in carries feels like the most likely scenario on Monday, but you’ll see Jamaal Williams and Jordan Mims as well.

“Between Kendre, Jamaal and Jordan Mims, you’ll see all of those guys, at some point, in the offensive backfield,” Rizzi added.

Miller has been Kamara’s running mate and second in the pecking order since returning from injury. His quick ascension over Williams would make one believe the young rusher will be the leader in the committee approach.

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Saints could be eliminated from playoff contention before MNF

The Saints enter Week 16 with a one percent chance at making the playoffs, but that could drop to zero before they take a snap on Monday night:

Slim doesn’t even describe the New Orleans Saints’ chances at making the playoffs. There is just one path, and it could be erased before the Saints even take the field in Week 16.

The Saints close out league action versus the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football, so they’ll know exactly what they’re stepping into on game day.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Arlington, Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys. If they are victorious, the Saints are eliminated from playoff contention. That’s also true if the Atlanta Falcons beat the New York Giants.

New Orleans wouldn’t have much to play for, but Darren Rizzi would still be trying to make his case to be the Saints head coach. The Saints are simply too prideful to tank, but it may be best to keep injured players like Alvin Kamara and Derek Carr off the field, health wise. Same goes for Chris Olave who had his return window opened this week.

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Saints rule out 4 ahead of Week 16 MNF showdown vs. Packers

No big surprises on the New Orleans Saints’ final injury report, but a few stars were ruled out ahead of Monday Night Football with the Green Bay Packers:

There aren’t many surprises on the New Orleans Saints’ final injury report of the week. Ahead of their game against the Green Bay Packers, the Saints ruled out four players and listed one as questionable.

Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave were all ruled out, but that was the expected procedure for all three players. Darren Rizzi said Carr and Kamara were going to miss the Monday night matchup earlier this week.

Olave was designated to return from injured reserve, but a return to action this week shouldn’t have been expected.

Juwan Johnson and Chase Young elevated to full participants on Saturday and have no injury designation. Johnson followed this same path last week. He was limited the first two days of practice before being a full participant on the final day.

Bub Means was the last player ruled out, and the expectation is he will go back to injured reserve after a setback. The injury report closes out with Marquez Valdes-Scantling designated as questionable with a chest injury and illness.

Saints’ run defense has a daunting challenge ahead in Green Bay

Josh Jacobs, the NFL’s third-leading rusher, faces the Saints, the sixth-worst run defense, on Monday. Advantage: Packers

The Green Bay Packers have the ability to exploit the New Orleans Saints in their weakest area defensively: the run defense. The defensive line has been praised for their improvements since moving to Brian Young as the position coach, but those improvements are in the pass rush department.

New Orleans has the sixth-worst run defense in the NFL. They did a better job against Brian Robinson, but the degree of difficulty rises on Monday.

New Orleans will have to take on the task of stopping Josh Jacobs on Monday night. The temperatures are expected to be below freezing when the Saints step onto Lambeau Field.

Northerners will call that football weather. That’s up for debate, but you can expect the Packers to come out running the football.

Jacobs is the third-leading rusher in the NFL, behind only Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley. In addition to ranking third in rushing yards, Jacobs also has the third-most attempts and fourth-most rushing touchdowns in the league. The Packers use him frequently and efficiently. It’s vital that the Saints figure out how to slow him down. If he builds some momentum this one could get away from them in a hurry.

Saints and Packers looking to repeat performances in this category

The New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers don’t have much in common, but their defenses are both coming off high-sack performances:

The New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers are in two different places in many major categories. One’s headed to the playoffs, the other is headed to the couch. It’s safe to say they don’t share many similarities, but there is one thing that is similar coming into the game. Each team is coming off of a monster sack performance.

The Saints brought down the elusive Jayden Daniels on eight different occasions. Bryan Bresee, the Saints best pass rusher this year, surprisingly didn’t get in on the action. Chase Young and Cameron Jordan led the charge. Those two have come along recently

The Packers terrorized Geno Smith and Sam Howell last Sunday. Green Bay sacked the Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks seven times..

The Saints pass rush hasn’t been great this season, but that strong performance versus the Washington Commanders places them just outside of the top ten. Green Bay big game seats them just inside the ten highest sack totals in the NFL.

Each team is looking for a repeat performance from their productive pass rush, and that would go a long ways towards a win for whoever accomplishes the feat.

Saints enter a low-risk, high-reward matchup vs. Packers

Expectations are low against the Packers, but some Saints have a lot to gain in Week 16. Spencer Rattler and Darren Rizzi could make waves:

The back half of the New Orleans Saints’ season became an evaluation period from the moment Dennis Allen was fired. The two people under the microscope the most are Darren Rizzi and Spencer Rattler. As the Saints enter a night game at Lambeau Field, this is a low risk, high reward game for both men.

There aren’t any expectations for the Saints to beat the Green Bay Packers. Because of that, the pressure on both Rizzi and Rattler is low.

The expected result alleviates a lot of pressure off Rizzi’s shoulders. You still want to see the Saints show some good traits, but you’re not looking at the final score as critically. If the Saints are able to pull off the upset, this will be a huge feather in the cap of Rizzi as he builds his case to shed the interim tag.

At this point, every game is high reward, low risk for Rattler. It’s unlikely for Rattler to be benched in favor of Jake Haener. All the Rattler needs to show is potential. If he can show enough potential, there is a shot he can be the starter next season for the new head coach.

Rattler’s weapons continue to dwindle. Alvin Kamara is likely out of the equation this week, which creates an opportunity for Kendre Miller to assert himself. Rattler will be attempting to do more with less, and the more he does, the more impressive it’ll be.

In general, we’re probably not judging the quarterback or head coach too harshly on Monday unless things go really bad.

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Saints haven’t started the same quarterback vs. Packers in their last 4 meetings

Spencer Rattler will be the fourth New Orleans Saints quarterback to start against the Green Bay Packers in as many games:

The New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers are about to play each other for the fourth time in the last five years, and the Saints have never started the same quarterback in any of those matchups. This is indicative of life after Drew Brees.

Ironically, the Packers have been a picture of consistency at quarterback. They went from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love. The Saints haven’t been nearly as fortunate post-Brees. While the Packers have found their quarterback of the future, New Orleans has struggled to find the quarterback of the present.

Brees started against the Packers in 2020. Since then, Jameis Winston, Derek Carr and soon to be Spencer Rattler have started against Green Bay.

Winston started in the 2021 season opener against Green Bay and relieved an injured Carr in 2023. He’s the only quarterback to play twice in this stretch, but he didn’t start both games.

Since Brees’ retirement, New Orleans has started eight quarterbacks: Winston, Trevor Siemian, Taysom Hill, Ian Book, Andy Dalton, Carr, Rattler and Jake Haener.

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3 Bold Predictions for Seahawks defense vs. Packers in Week 15

The Seattle Seahawks will host the Green Bay Packers at Lumen Field on Sunday Night Football in Week 15. Mike Macdonald’s defense was dominant in last weekend’s victory over the Arizona Cardinals, limiting them to 18 points and intercepting Kyler Murray twice. We’ve compiled three bold predictions for the defense versus the Packers.

Uchenna Nwosu records a sack

Veteran EDGE Uchenna Nwosu returned from a lengthy stint on the sidelines last week. The sack-artist played just 30 snaps as Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde opted to ease him back into the lineup. He totaled one pressure via 17 pass-rushing snaps. Nwosu could sack Packers quarterback Jordan Love while handling a slightly larger workload.

Tyrice Knight keeps the hype going

Rookie linebacker Tyrice Knight has been a revelation since helping replace Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker in the starting lineup. Knight was everywhere in last weekend’s win over the Cardinals, leading the team with 12 total tackles en route to earning NFC Defensive Rookie of the Week honors. Look for the former UTEP standout to build on that performance against the Packers.

Ernest Jones IV forces a fumble

Off-ball linebacker Ernest Jones IV has been outstanding since arriving in Seattle via midseason trade, routinely leading the defense in tackles. Jones recorded his first turnover as a Seahawk by intercepting Murray last week. The do-it-all defender could generate a turnover for a second consecutive week by forcing a fumble versus the Packers.

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