Saints vs. Packers: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for New Orleans
The New Orleans Saints ended their preseason on a sour note Thursday night, as they were soundly beaten by the homestanding Green Bay Packers, 38-10.
The defeat marks the first time since 1971 the Saints have gone winless in the preseason.
New Orleans got off to a red-hot start in the game with points on its first two possessions. Coach Sean Payton’s club cooled off in the second quarter, however, as the Packers found their footing on offense. Green Bay seized control of the game in the third quarter, and in the final period, the Saints were flat-out sloppy in all phases.
The visitors came out with great intensity on the defensive side, as coordinator Rob Ryan’s unit forced the Packers into two consecutive three-and-outs to begin the game.
Luke McCown got the starting nod for the Saints at quarterback, and he engineered an impressive six-play, 85-yard touchdown march on New Orleans’ first offensive series.
The Saints added a field goal on their second drive to go up 10-0 in the first quarter, but things would go downhill from that point on. The Packers reeled off 38 unanswered points in the second, third and fourth quarters.
As is commonplace for the fourth NFL preseason game, the majority of starters on both sides sat this one out. The extended minutes for the reserves provided the two coaching staffs with an opportunity to closely evaluate players still competing for roster spots.
Continue reading for a further look at this preseason matchup, complete with postgame grades, notes and quotes.
Postgame Grades
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| QB | C |
| RB | C+ |
| WR/TE | C- |
| OL | D |
| DL | C- |
| LB | C |
| DB | F |
| Special Teams | C |
| Coaching | D |
Offense
On its opening drive, New Orleans received stellar quarterback play from McCown, who went 5-of-5 for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Brandon Coleman gained a tighter grip on the No. 3 receiver spot with a four-catch, 82-yard performance, which was his best outing of the preseason.
After the first quarter, the New Orleans offensive line, which started the game strong, began to regress, and the unit was unable to slow down the Green Bay pass-rushers. Quarterbacks Ryan Griffin and Garrett Grayson were pressured consistently, and the Saints experienced issues with pass protection.
New Orleans didn’t run the ball effectively, either. Ball-carriers Tim Hightower, Marcus Murphy and Edwin Baker were held to a combined 59 rushing yards.
As for Grayson, the rookie didn’t have his best night. In two quarters of action, he hit on just eight of 19 passes for 71 yards while tossing two interceptions.
In the end, the Saints were able to manage just 261 yards of offense, and this overall lack of production may well have contributed to the apparent fatigue displayed by the defense in the fourth quarter.
Defense
The New Orleans front four was unable to generate a pass rush for much of the night, although Ryan’s scheme was admittedly quite vanilla.
One Saints defensive lineman who stood out, however, was rookie Bobby Richardson. The undrafted free agent recorded three tackles for loss from his defensive end spot, and he invaded the Green Bay backfield on multiple occasions.
At linebacker, Jerry Franklin turned in his best game of the preseason, while Justin Anderson also had a solid outing.
As for the secondary, the Saints were a mess Thursday night. With all four starting defensive backs sidelined with injuries, and rookie corners Delvin Breaux and Damian Swann also sitting this one out, New Orleans allowed Green Bay’s Brett Hundley to show off his best Aaron Rodgers imitation.
The rookie out of UCLA torched the Saints for 236 yards and four touchdowns on 16-of-23 passing in just under three quarters of work. The New Orleans secondary exhibited a lack of intensity for the better part of the second half, despite the fact that numerous roster spots were yet to be claimed.
Cornerback Kyle Wilson jumped a route in the second quarter and snagged an impressive red-zone interception off Packers quarterback Scott Tolzien, but other than that, positive plays from Saints defensive backs were few and far between.
Special Teams
New Orleans had an up-and-down night on special teams.
Wideout Seantavius Jones made his case for a spot on the final roster with an impressive tackle on a Green Bay punt return. Safety Pierre Warren appeared to make a big play of his own with a forced fumble and a recovery just before halftime, but a costly penalty on New Orleans nullified the would-be turnover.
Willie Snead showcased his special teams potential with a 48-yard kickoff return, while Josh Morgan wasn’t as impressive on his lone return.
Meanwhile, Dustin Hopkins was the only Saints kicker to see action Thursday night. He could have made a big step toward locking down the job in the third quarter, but his attempt at a 53-yard field goal was pushed wide right. Hopkins has battled Zach Hocker for kicking duties throughout camp.
Saints Struggle Again with Penalties
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The Saints were penalized nine times in the contest for 71 yards. This marked an improvement from Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans when they were docked 148 yards, but mistakes were still a significant problem for New Orleans on Thursday night.
The timing of the miscues against the Packers was especially damaging, as numerous flags negated what would have been positive plays by New Orleans.
Costly mistakes have been an ongoing theme for the Saints throughout the preseason. They were penalized for over 400 yards over the course of their four contests, and such an excessive amount can’t go unaddressed by Payton as the regular-season opener approaches.
Backup Quarterback Battle Concludes
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Ryan Griffin has battled it out for the No. 2 quarterback spot throughout the preseason, but Thursday night’s contest may have marked the end of the road in New Orleans for the third-year man out of Tulane.
Griffin completed seven of his 13 passes for 56 yards, and he faced consistent pressure from the Packers pass rush.
McCown, who has backed up Drew Brees for the past two seasons, bounced back from a somewhat shaky performance Sunday night with a rock-solid showing against Green Bay.
Sure, he only played on the Saints’ opening offensive series, but his efficiency was impressive nonetheless.
The 6’5” Griffin has the potential to be a solid NFL quarterback, and he made a number of head-turning plays this preseason. With draft pick Garrett Grayson all but guaranteed a spot on the team, however, there’s a good chance Griffin won’t be on the list when New Orleans releases its final roster.
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Willie Snead, on His First NFL Touchdown
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The emergence of wideout Willie Snead has made for one of the better stories of Saints training camp.
Against the Packers, the 22-year-old put an exclamation point on his impressive preseason with a seven-yard scoring reception from McCown on the Saints' opening drive. After the game on NewOrleansSaints.com, Snead commented on his first NFL touchdown.
“It was real quick," Snead said. "Luke (McCown) found me on a little slant route. It felt good to get my first NFL official touchdown. It was encouraging because that was one of my goals this preseason.”
A former undrafted free agent, the Ball State product spent the bulk of last season on the Carolina Panthers practice squad after spending 2014 training camp with the Cleveland Browns. He signed on with New Orleans late last season, and he’s performed well throughout the preseason.
Snead entered the Green Bay game as the Saints’ leading receiver for their three exhibition games, but he had yet to score his first NFL touchdown until Thursday night.
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