Green Bay Packers vs. New Orleans Saints: Report-Card Grades for New Orleans
The New Orleans Saints delivered their finest performance of the season on Sunday Night Football, and they blew past the Green Bay Packers, 44-23.
With the win, the Saints (3-4) moved into a tie with the Carolina Panthers for first place in the NFC South.
Offenses dominated the contest, as the two teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards of offense and there wasn't so much as a single punt.
The game began with fireworks, as Green Bay scored on a 70-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Randall Cobb on the opening drive. The Saints quickly answered, however, when Drew Brees found Kenny Stills for a 46-yard completion that set up a short touchdown run by Brandin Cooks.
Field goals reigned throughout the remainder of the first half, and the score was knotted up at 16 at the half.
New Orleans took control of the game in the second half, as the offense reached paydirt on four touchdown drives and the defense picked off Rodgers twice.
The loss ended the Packers’ four-game win streak, while it gave the Saints a renewed sense of confidence as they head into Thursday night’s game with the Panthers.
Continue reading for game grades for New Orleans, complete with a final grade on the last slide.
Quarterback
1 of 10
After drawing a week of intense criticism following last week’s costly interception, Drew Brees lit up the Green Bay defense from start to finish on Sunday night.
He completed 27 of 32 pass attempts for 311 yards and three touchdowns, and much to the enjoyment of the home crowd, he had an interception-free night.
Brees played the distributor role to perfection, as he spread the ball around to nine different receivers, while working every area of the field. He was also on point with the deep ball, completing long passes to Cooks, Stills and Jimmy Graham.
When the Saints’ team captain is shredding secondaries like he did Sunday night, New Orleans is next to impossible to beat.
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 10
With Pierre Thomas and Khiry Robinson out, the Saints needed a top-notch performance from Mark Ingram. They got exactly that, as the former first-round pick enjoyed his finest day in a Saints uniform.
Ingram pounded the Packers’ suspect run defense to the tune of 172 rushing yards on 24 carries, and he reached the end zone with a 21-yard scamper in the fourth quarter.
He ran with fierce intensity and physicality throughout the contest, and he also displayed impressive elusiveness that he hadn’t often shown as a Saint.
Sure, Ingram reaped the benefits of running behind a dominant offensive line, but he still deserves much of the credit for his prolific performance on Sunday night.
While Ingram handled business as a between-the-tackles runner, Travaris Cadet stepped up in place of the injured Thomas and made a sizable contribution to the passing game. He hauled in four balls for 40 yards, as he assumed Thomas' role on screens and swing passes.
Offseason free-agent pickup Erik Long received his first significant snaps after a slow recovery from an ankle injury suffered in training camp. He caught a pass and had two carries from his fullback position, and he and Austin Johnson cleared running lanes for Ingram on a consistent basis.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
New Orleans' wide receivers and tight ends also had fine performances on Sunday, as they gave the Packers secondary fits for the majority of the contest.
The big story was the return of Jimmy Graham, who slowly worked his way back into form as the game wore on.
After missing parts of each of the last two games with a shoulder injury, Graham pulled down five balls for 59 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown catch on a jump ball in the end zone against single coverage.
Rookie Brandin Cooks was highly productive from his wide receiver spot, as he nearly eclipsed the 100-yard mark on six catches. He ran for a touchdown and caught another, and the Packers never seemed to adjust to his top-end speed and quickness.
Marques Colston and Kenny Stills were in nice form on Sunday, as the two wideouts combined for eight catches and 106 yards.
Not one to be denied, backup tight end Josh Hill also got in on the action, and he grabbed a two-yard touchdown pass from Brees in the back of the end zone to give the Saints a 21-point fourth-quarter lead.
Grade: A-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Of all the New Orleans position groups, the offensive line turned in perhaps the best performance on Sunday.
The unit controlled the line of scrimmage from the get-go and cleared running room for Ingram in dominant fashion.
Left tackle Terron Armstead did an admirable job blocking Packers pass-rusher Clay Matthews, although Matthews did record a sack. The same can be said on the other side for Zach Strief, who was largely responsible for taking on explosive Green Bay linebacker Julius Peppers. Strief did get beaten for a sack, but Peppers was relatively quiet for the rest of the contest, and no one can argue that Strief didn't pull his weight as a run-blocker.
Meanwhile, guards Jahri Evans and Ben Grubbs were stellar in both the running and passing games, while center Tim Lelito turned in a head-turning performance in his first start.
Overall, this group was exceptional for most of the night.
Grade: A
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Saints defensive line was far from perfect against Green Bay, but the unit must be given credit for its unrelenting effort against one of the league's top offenses.
Cam Jordan entered the game with only one sack on the season, but the 2013 Pro Bowler registered two on Sunday night, as he finally resembled the player that turned in 12.5 sacks a year ago.
Akiem Hicks was highly active from the other end spot, and while he didn't record a sack, he was a disruptive force for much of the game.
Brodrick Bunkley also had his moments, as did backup Brandon Deaderick, while Tyrunn Walker came off the bench to contribute quality minutes as well.
Green Bay did enjoy some success on the ground with Eddie Lacy, thanks in part to some solid blocking against the Saints defensive front.
Rodgers also escaped containment and scrambled outside the pocket a couple of times, but overall, this unit had a respectable outing on Sunday.
Grade: B-
Linebacker
6 of 10
The Saints linebacking corps had a difficult time trying to bring down Lacy on more than one occasion, but the unit was serviceable for the most part.
Curtis Lofton, who was exceptional in last week's loss at Detroit, didn't have as much of an impact against Green Bay, but he played with solid effort, as usual.
David Hawthorne had an all-around fine performance, and he plucked a deflected ball out of the air for an interception near the New Orleans goal line to kill a Green Bay drive.
Junior Galette had a rather quiet outing from his spot on the outside, but rookie Kasim Edebali filled the void with an eye-opening performance in a backup role. The athletic pass-rusher recorded two sacks while rushing off the edge, and his continued development will certainly be something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks and months.
The Saints linebackers weren't spectacular on Sunday, but considering the level of competition they were facing, the group turned in a satisfactory performance.
Grade: B-
Secondary
7 of 10
The New Orleans secondary endured a rough first quarter Sunday night, but in time, the group composed itself and improved its play.
The Saints often dropped their safeties back in a deep zone, especially in the first half, in an effort to keep everything in front of them. This strategy doesn't always work so well against Rodgers, however, as he rolled up more than 200 passing yards in the first quarter alone.
Once New Orleans gained the lead in the second half, the Saints played more man-to-man coverage, and they made plays when they needed to.
Cornerback Corey White, who was frequently picked on by Matthew Stafford a week ago, had a much better game against the Packers. He largely held his own against the Green Bay wideouts, and he snagged an interception of Rodgers off a deflection.
Top cover man Keenan Lewis, meanwhile, seemed a bit uncomfortable playing zone at first, but he had his moments when he matched up with Jordy Nelson in man coverage.
Safety Kenny Vaccaro led all tacklers with eight stops, and he established himself early on as a physical presence in the secondary with which the Packers would be forced to contend.
Rafael Bush didn't fare as well from the other safety spot, but considering the tall task he and the other defensive backs faced in Rodgers, the group had an average showing.
Grade: C
Special Teams
8 of 10
The kickers on both sides played a significant role in this one, and New Orleans' Shayne Graham matched Green Bay's Mason Crosby by hitting on all three of his field-goal attempts.
The return game was nonexistent on both sides, although the Saints recovered two onside kicks. Thomas Morstead booted kickoff after kickoff into the end zone, but there were no punts in the game on either side.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
The Saints coaching staff has endured some strong criticism over the course of the season, and deservedly so, but Sean Payton was at the top of his game Sunday night, and the rest of his staff appeared to be, as well.
From a play-calling standpoint, Payton was stellar, as he utilized his personnel exceptionally well. The Saints mixed a powerful ground game in with a high-flying passing attack, and the result was 44 points and nearly 500 yards of offense.
Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan also called a nice game, and he effectively adjusted his scheme over the course of the contest. The Saints did as much as they could to make things difficult for Rodgers, and even though he tossed for more than 400 yards, the Packers only reached the end zone twice.
More importantly than anything else, however, the Saints played with passion and intensity for four quarters, and they also kept their penalties to a minimum (four for 35 yards). This all points to coaching, and the Saints staff had its squad ready to go on Sunday night.
Grade: A
Final Grade
10 of 10
Heading into the game, the Saints had their backs to the wall with a 2-4 record, and they weren't given much of a chance to slow down the Packers' potent offense.
Rodgers and Co. were as good as advertised, as they racked up 491 yards and 23 first downs. Green Bay was 1-of-7 on third-down conversions, however, and this is possibly the most telling of all statistics. The Packers were forced to settle for field goals more often than not, and their defense eventually succumbed to New Orleans' powerful offensive juggernaut.
The Saints were precise, methodical and explosive with Brees under center, and their power running game resembled a well-oiled machine.
New Orleans now turns its attention to Thursday's showdown with the Carolina Panthers, but their Sunday night steamrolling of the Packers could very well be the game that media and fans point to for months to come as the moment when the Saints turned their season around.
Final Grade: A-
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