Football
On Monday, the New Orleans Saints marched into Green Bay, W.I., in a primetime matchup against the Packers. In what was a hard-to-watch game, the Saints were the first team to be shut out this season.
FIRST QUARTER
The Green Bay Packers got the ball first, and the Saints’ run defense was quickly exposed. They would run on the game’s first four plays, setting up two decent-sized pass plays. Then, Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs executed a 20-yard run while simultaneously hitting Tyrann Mathieu with a mean stiff-arm.
New Orleans would then show a little bit of goal line defense before allowing a touchdown on third down.
For the Saints offense, the first play was a positive one, with quarterback Spencer Rattler scrambling for a seven-yard gain. RB Kendre Miller would then pull off a short run before Rattler would connect with tight end Foster Moreau for a 12-yard gain.
Unfortunately, that would be the end of that drive’s positives. Following a three-yard gain by RB Jamaal Williams, Rattler would throw an incomplete pass intended for wide receiver Kevin Austin. New Orleans would initially try to go for it on 4th and 7, but left guard Lucas Patrick got flagged for a false start, pushing the fourth down attempt out of the team’s mind.
Green Bay’s next drive would start on their own four-yard line, thanks to a great punt by Matthew Hayball and a holding penalty on the receiving team. They then marched down the field for another touchdown on a drive that lasted 17 plays, the remainder of the first quarter and a portion of the second. QB Jordan Love would be the one to give the Saints a new one on this drive, completing 5/9 passes for 62 yards. The score would come on a two-yard run by Jacobs.
SECOND QUARTER
The Saints offense, on their first drive of the second quarter, woudln’t gain any yards. They would actually go backwards, with Miller being tackled for a loss and false start on left tackle Tailese Fuaga. A scramble and pass completion by Rattler, on second and third down resepctivly, were the only reasons that they were even to gain back the yards lost. On 4th & 10, Punter Matthew Hayball would walk back onto the field.
Green Bay would score again on their next drive, which was six plays, 67 yards, and just under three minutes. They would pick up where they left off, with a nine-yard run by WR Christian Watson. Then, on what looks like blown coverage, TE Tucker Kraft has a 28-yard catch and run.
Green Bay would then pull off one run for eight and another for 14, before calling for a timeout. Following the timeout, Love would complete a pass to WR Jordan Reed for a five-yard gain. At the one-yard line, Love would hand it off to RB Chris Brooks for the score.
On the first play of his next drive, Rattler would connect with TE Foster Moreau on a 21-yard pass. Jamaal Williams would then gain four yards on a rushing attempt. Williams would gain one more yard on another run before the Saints were caught with too many men on the field. Following the penalty, Miller would gain the team a fresh set of downs on a 10-yard rush. Unfortunately, the promising drive would end way too fast. Just two plays later, Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon would pop the ball out of Rattler’s hands on a sack, which would then quickly be recovered by Green Bay.
Thankfully, the Saints defense had the offense’s back and forced their first three-and-out of the game. Following the two-minute warning, the Packers would punt the ball. Luckily for them, New Orleans wouldn’t be able to score before the end of the first half.
THIRD QUARTER
New Orleans would receive the ball to start out the second half. The drive initially looked promising, thanks to the connection between Miller and Rattler, and they even got a fresh set of downs. But it would quickly sour, and following an incomplete pass on 3rd & 2, the Saints would punt once again.
On their first drive of the second half, the Packers offense would not score seven points, but they would score three. Before the Saints defense finally woke up and forced a stop in field goal range, Jacobs and the Green Bay run game shredded them. They just couldn’t be stopped, and it really wasn’t until they started to try to pass the ball that they slowed down. On 4th & 6 from 55 yards out, Packers kicker Brandun McManus would send it through the uprights.
On what would be the last full drive of the third quarter, the Saints would have their most heartbreaking drive yet.
Rattler would gain the team a fresh set of downs with his own two feet on two scrambles for 15 yards. Following a run by Jordan Mims that went for a loss of two, Rattler would then connect with TE Juwan Johnson on a 17-yard pass. He would then be sacked and have a completed pass for zero yards before executing his most impressive play of the game. On 3rd & 17, Rattler would throw a jump pass to WR Dante Pettis for a 20-yard gain.
Unfortunately, all the hype would quickly be gone following the next play, which saw Rattler throw a bad interception to safety Zayne Anderson.
They would still allow 31 rushing yards on just four attempts, but thankfully, the Saints defense would force another punt on the ensuing offensive drive for Green Bay.
FOURTH QUARTER
The Saints first drive of the fourth quarter started out well, but with only one positive play—an 11-yard pass from Rattler to Pettis. Following the completed pass, RB Mims would have a short run before two incomplete passes by Rattler before the Saints sent out Hayball once again.
Their defense would hold Green Bay to a 3rd & 12, but a 37-yard pass from Love to WR Jordan Reed gave the Packers a fresh set of downs. Following a short run by Brooks, Love would then find WR Dontayvion Wicks for a 12-yard gain. Brooks would then pull off two short runs before an incomplete pass on third down. In field goal range, Green Bay would send out McManus once again, who would make it from 46 yards out.
New Orleans’ next drive was not very pretty. Starting out with an incomplete pass, they would negate an eight-yard run by Mims with a holding penalty. Rattler would then complete a 13-yard pass to WR Cedrick Wilson to make it 3rd & 7, but on the fourth down attempt would throw an incompletion.
The Packers would decide to send out their backup QB Malik Willis on their next offensive possession. He would only hand the ball off to RB Emanuel Wilson before completing a 34-yard pass to Reed on a fourth down attempt.
The next drive for the Saints would be their last for the night. Mims would pull off a nine-yard run before a four-yard catch, giving New Orleans a fresh set of downs. Following the two-minute warning, he and Rattler would fail to connect on a first down play. However, Rattler would then find Johnson on a 10-yard pass.
He would then throw two incompletions, the first intended for Kevin Austin and the second for Mims. On third down, he and Mims would connect again for four yards, which would not be enough for a first down. Calling a timeout first, the Saints would then go for it on 4th & 6. Unfortunately, it would be another incomplete pass. Malik Willis would then kneel the ball twice to end the game.
The next Saints game will be on Sunday, Dec. 29, against the Las Vegas Raiders at noon.
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