The Packers are rolling over the depleted Saints and looking like a top contender in the NFC
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The Packers are rolling over the depleted Saints and looking like a top contender in the NFC

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

The Green Bay Packers might be the best third-place team in NFL history.

The Packers can’t win the division despite an 11-4 record because the Detroit Lions or Minnesota Vikings are each 13-2 and one of them has to win (or they tie) when they meet in Week 18. But the Packers are already on the short list of teams that can win a Super Bowl.

Green Bay didn’t have much of a challenge against a weakened New Orleans Saints team on Monday night, but they did what elite teams do and thoroughly dominated a bad team. The Packers scored touchdowns on each of their first three drives and after that it was pretty much over. A Saints team whose top playmakers included Spencer Rattler, Kendre Miller and Foster Moreau couldn’t come back from a 21-0 hole. Green Bay stepped on the gas in the second half and cruised to a 34-0 win.

The Packers’ shutout was the first in the NFL this season. According to ESPN, the Saints have been eliminated just once in their last 369 games.

The Packers have been good all season. They haven’t lost to a team with a record worse than 12-3 all season. They were simply overshadowed in their own department. But with QB Jordan Love looking as healthy and productive as he has all season and Josh Jacobs scoring touchdowns at a rapid rate, the Packers are not a team anyone wants to play against, even if they are ranked No. 6 in the NFC.

It’s sad to see the Saints late this season. Against Green Bay they were without Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Taysom Hill on offense. It’s hard to keep up when one side is missing so many key players.

On Monday night, the Saints looked like a team that wasn’t enjoying the cold at Lambeau Field, knew they couldn’t compete and just wanted to get things over with as quickly as possible.

At the end of the first half there were some problems with the timing. The Saints needed less than a minute left to call a timeout, then lost 24 seconds when they didn’t realize the clock was running after a fumble went out of bounds. That’s down to interim coach Darren Rizzi. Then Spencer Rattler took a 14-yard sack when he held the ball too long, costing New Orleans at least a chance at a field goal.

Not that the incorrect handling of timeouts played a major role. The Packers held a 21-0 lead with more than six minutes left in the second quarter. There’s no mercy rule in football, but the only thing that kept the Saints from getting beaten by 50 points was that Packers coach Matt LaFleur had no reason not to.

The Packers’ offense has adjusted over the course of the season. They seem to have finally decided on their identity.

Love has been good, but he hasn’t been a great passer lately. The Packers are getting a lot of power from Jacobs, who scored again on Monday. He has scored a touchdown in six straight games. Love is certainly capable if the Packers need to lean on him, especially now that he’s fully overcome some early-season injuries. On Monday night, he was 12 of 18 for 127 yards in the first half.

Green Bay is mostly preparing for the playoffs as the only real question left for the Packers is which wild card spot they will end up with. That helps, because with each passing week the Packers look more and more like a serious threat in the NFC.

The Packers weren’t really tested on Monday. The Saints are far from being a playoff-caliber team. But Green Bay has shown in recent weeks that it can beat anyone in the NFL.

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  • Packers secure their first shutout of the NFL season and secure a spot in the playoffs

    The Packers stopped the Saints one last time and finished the game in victory formation to complete the 34-0 shutout, the first in the NFL this season.

    With the win, Green Bay is 11-4 and clinched a wild-card spot with two weeks left in the regular season. A dominant performance on both sides of the ball secures Green Bay’s fifth playoff spot in six seasons.

  • Saints G Lucas Patrick is injured

    Difficult to recognize. Saints guard Lucas Patrick went down in pain in the middle of garbage time. Retained his left knee after the contact and was eventually able to limp off the field.

  • Packers keep pushing

    With Malik Willis at QB, the Packers added another touchdown on a seven-play, 48-yard drive to lead 34-0. Emanuel Wilson strikes from 1 yard.

    Nine Packers players have carried the ball for 191 yards and three touchdowns at 5.1 yards per carry.

    The only mistake on that final drive: Green Bay left the game with 2:41 on the game clock.

  • Saints fail on 4th down; Jordan Love’s evening is over

    A Packers shutout is within reach. The Saints simply failed to convert on fourth down, and backup quarterback Malik Willis replaced Packers starter Jordan Love. Green Bay leads 27-0 with 5:44 left and with the ball.

  • Packers add an FG

    The Packers extend their lead to 27-0 with a 46-yard field goal. 7:13 remains in regular time.

  • Packers fans feel it – and don’t follow protocol. The wave had previously broken out. Now they’re yelling, “The Bears still suck.” Both times with Green Bay on offense.

  • The Saints punt again

    The Packers got the ball back after a Saints punt with a 24-0 lead and a clear mission: Run the clock.

  • Josh Jacobs is taking it easy on the bench

    Packers running back Josh Jacobs remained on the sideline after a hot start. No reports of any injury. It makes sense for Green Bay to sideline its starting running back in a bust. Eight different players carried the ball for the Packers tonight.

  • Packers punt

    The Packers failed to gain a first down near midfield, and the Saints will look for their first points with a drive from their own 34.

  • The Packers take a 24-0 lead in the fourth period

    The third quarter is over, the Packers have a 24-0 lead and the ball is heading into the fourth quarter. Will they maintain their shutout?

  • Everything continues to go wrong for the Saints. Their best drive of the night (to the Green Bay 22) ends with a Spencer Rattler interception to Zayne Anderson near the end zone. Green Bay keeps the shutout intact and takes over at its own 20 with a 24-0 lead.

  • Christian Watson is now questionable

    Packers receiver Christian Watson returned to the game after a visit to the medical tent in the first half. But Green Bay now lists him as questionable because of a knee injury. We’re expecting his night to end with a bang.

  • Brandon McManus is good from deep

    Brandon McManus hits a good 60-yard field goal and extends Green Bay’s lead to 24-0. The only drama that remains in this case is the question of whether the shutout applies or not.

  • The Saints punt again

    New Orleans struck after gaining 14 yards on its first possession of the third quarter. New Orleans is still trying to crack the scoresheet.

  • The Saints start the second half with the ball

    The Saints have the ball to start the second half. Will they score this time – or at all tonight?

  • Halftime stats: Packers 21, Saints 0

    That’s about as dominant as one NFL team looks against another.

    Jordan Love: 12 of 18, 127 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 turnovers
    Spencer Rattler: 4 of 8, 56 yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 lost fumble

    Josh Jacobs: 10 carries for 53 yards; 4 catches for 38 yards, 1 touchdown
    Kendre Miller: 5 carries for 12 yards

    Tucker Kraft: 3 catches for 63 yards
    Foster Moreau: 2 catches for 33 yards

    Packers total yards: 222 at 6.2 yards per play
    Saints total yards: 81 at 3.5 yards per play

    Packers first downs: 15
    Saints first downs: 6

    Packers turnovers: 0
    Saints turnovers: 1

  • Saints blow clock, best chance to score

    Saints head coach Darren Rizzi was unaware that the game clock would restart after a fumble went out of bounds. Saints receiver Kevin Austin Jr. was caught out of bounds with 39 seconds left after beating the Green Bay 34.

    The officials stopped the clock and started it again after the ball was put back in play, as intended. The Saints apparently assumed the clock would remain stopped and did not call one of their two remaining timeouts until there were 15 seconds left on the game clock.

    Spencer Rattler was sacked on the next play, and the Saints remained scoreless after a Hail Mary hit the turf on third-and-22. A terrible half of Saints football ends in complete mismanagement, with Green Bay leading 21-0.

    The Saints also wasted a lot of time early in the drive, which began with 1:49 remaining in the half. Complete mismanagement of New Orleans.

    Rizzi explained the gaffe to ESPN on the way to the halftime locker room as a “miscommunication with the officials.”

  • The saints will finally come to an end

    The Packers just punted after scoring touchdowns on each of their first three drives. The Saints have a chance to salvage some prestige if the ball is back within the 2-minute warning.

  • Christian Watson is back

    Packers wide receiver Christian Watson is back on the field after spending some time in the medical tent.

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