Saints stun Packers
New Orleans wins fourth in row as Green Bay struggles without Rodgers,
Drew Brees
threw for a touchdown and ran for another, Mark Ingram rushed
for a score and the New Orleans Saints overcame several mistakes to beat the Green Bay Packers 26-17 on Sunday.
Will Lutz kicked two second-half
field goals, including a 44-yarder to put New Orleans up for good 19-17 with 10:26 left in the game.
Brees’ 1-yard sneak gave the Saints a two-score lead with 4:55 left. “It was a really important one.
Third down, it makes it a two-possession game. That was huge,”
Brees said.
The sloppy Saints were fortunate to get their fourth straight victory. The Packers lost their first
game with Brett Hundley starting at quarterback for injured star Aaron Rodgers.
New Orleans’ defense gave up a 46-yard touchdown run to rookie Aaron Jones on the opening drive. Brees was picked off twice in the first quarter. Lutz had a blocked
extra point and New Orleans (4-2) was penalized seven times for 80 yards.
But the Saints pulled away late at overcast Lambeau Field, scoring on four second-half drives before running out the clock.
“Just find a rhythm. Had a couple mistakes. For me, just a couple poor throws,” Brees said about recovering from the early picks.
After holding the Packers (4-3) to a three-and-out inside the 20, New Orleans drove 55 yards in eight plays to seal the game with Brees’ sneak over the goal line.
Brees finished 27 of 38 for 331 yards with a touchdown, the 500th of his career. He joins Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Tom Brady as the only players to reach that plateau.
Ingram ran for 105 yards on 22 carries.
The Packers couldn’t generate big plays late without Rodgers. He’s out indefinitely with a broken right collarbone.
Instead, coach Mike McCarthy
turned to a running game that initially threw off the Saints.
Jones had 131 yards on 17 carries. Hundley showed toughness in running for a 14-yard score to give Green Bay a 14-7 lead with 8:37 left in the second quarter.
But the Packers managed just a 46-yard field goal from Mason Crosby in the second half, which gave them a brief 17-16 lead.
“The name of the game is we have to execute,” Hundley said. “I didn’t play well enough, we didn’t score enough points to win the game.”
The Packers couldn’t keep up through the air as the Saints scored on their first four possessions after halftime.
“I’m particularly disgusted with the second half,” McCarthy said. “As a head coach, when your team doesn’t perform and drops off the way it did in the second half, I’m disappointed.”
The Packers gained only 65 yards in the final two quarters.
Hundley finished 12 of 25 for 87 yards. He was intercepted by safety Kenny Vaccaro on a deep ball down the middle of the field with 4:20 left, ending the Pack
ers’ comeback bid.
Besides Brees’ two picks, the Saints’ rough first quarter also included a punt fumbled by Ted Ginn Jr. at his 20. But New Orle
ans got a break and retained possession when the Packers’ Josh Jones was whistled for fair catch
interference.