5 THINGS TO WATCH
1. DEEP THOUGHTS: The Saints rank tied for seventh with nine other teams for most completions of 25 or more yards (the Packers are tied for first with seven), but they aren’t scoring off big plays. A big reason is the absence of receiver Michael Thomas (ankle), who isn’t expected to play again Sunday night. The Saints’ six offensive touchdowns average 5.6 yards, which means they’re having to work for everything they get. Since the Saints aren’t stretching the field, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine may need his corners to challenge with man coverage to keep quarterback Drew Brees from getting in a rhythm.
2. BIG NICKEL: Even though the defense struggled early against Detroit, Pettine had success mixing a base front with a nickel secondary. Instead of taking out a defensive lineman for an extra corner, he took out an inside linebacker. Having three linemen on the field meant the Packers weren’t as susceptible to the run when they went to their nickel. “It gives you that in-between grouping (so) you can hold up against (their) bigger groupings, but at the same time you have a nickel on the field and you can be solid in coverage,” Pettine said. Pettine may have gone to it more because nose tackle Kenny Clark (groin) was out, but if Clark returns it could be even more effective.
3. JAMAAL WILLIAMS SURGING: There’s no question Aaron Jones is the Packers’ go-to guy in the backfield. He leads the NFL in rushing (234), total yards (312) and is tied for the lead in touchdowns (four). It’s made it harder
TOM SILVERSTEIN
The Packers are rolling offensively, but this will be the toughest defense they face in the first half of the season. The onus will be on the defense to keep running back Alvin Kamara from taking over the game and quarterback Drew Brees from keeping the chains moving. Packers 27, Saints 24 to notice that the Packers’ other back, Jamaal Williams, is off to a great start. He has earned first downs on seven of his 19 touches and is averaging 5.6 yards per carry (15 for 84). His role may expand. “Jamaal came in in such incredible shape,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “He certainly looks twitchier, he can stick his foot in the ground and make you miss, he’s doing a great job of pressing and cutting and then he’s finishing violently.”
4. PICK OF THE LITTER: The Saints invested a lot in defensive end Marcus Davenport, and Sunday could be his first game of the season due to an elbow injury. If you remember, Saints coach Sean Payton gave up a future first-round pick to the Packers to move up from No. 27 to No. 14 in 2018 so he could draft Davenport. The Packers traded back up to 18th to get Jaire Alexander and used the 2019 firstround pick in a trade to get safety Darnell Savage. The Saints’ pass rush is very good, but if the under-performing Davenport ever comes around it would be dominant. “They have a really good front seven,” offensive line coach Adam Stenavich said. “Those linebackers come downhill, they play fast. So, we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
5. DOGGED BY DROPS: LaFleur charged his skill players on offense with six drops against the Lions. STATS ranks the Packers second in the NFL with five drops, but they definitely have more than that. Without them, quarterback Aaron Rodgers might have the highest passer rating in the league. “You train it as much as you can, but the guys just having that confidence and not taking their eye of the ball or maybe having their hands in front instead of their hands underneath, there’s a lot of things that go into it,” receivers coach Jason Vrable said. The Packers have gotten away with them so far, but if they don’t get those numbers down, their luck may run out.
PACKERS
OUR PREDICTIONS
SCHEDULES
SAINTS