New Orleans Saints Week 1 Preview: 5 Keys to Victory over Green Bay

Kickoff is only hours away, and the New Orleans Saints will need five things to happen against the Green Bay Packers to make sure the 2009 Super Bowl Champions trump the defending champs.

Obviously, the Saints will have to stop Aaron Rodgers and the Packers onslaught of weapons on the offensive side of the ball, but the Saints will need to bring their “A" game on offense as well.

In my opinion, I think these are the two best teams in the NFC. I’m not sold on the Philadelphia Eagles, and I think they’re slightly better than the Atlanta Falcons.

These are the five things the Saints will have to do to open up their season with a victory against the Packers.

Don’t Let Aaron Rodgers Post X-Box-Like Numbers on You

This one is a given, and an eight-year-old boy could have made this slide, but the Saints still have to contain Aaron Rodgers.

Notice how I said contain him, because there’s no way you can shut this guy down completely. Rodgers has proved time and time again that he is the real deal and is without a doubt in my mind one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

When you talk about the elite quarterbacks in the league, you can’t talk about Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees without mentioning Rodgers.

The Saints will need a big performance out of their secondary in this one and Malcolm Jenkins is going to have to be all over the place.  

Drew Brees and the Offense Need to Get Hot Quick and Stay Hot

Last year, the Saints opened up against the Minnesota Vikings with a long scoring drive capped off by a Devery Henderson 29-yard touchdown reception.

They managed to only score one more touchdown for the rest of the game and were able to escape with a 14-9 victory.

The Saints will have to score more points in this year’s season-opener because there is no way the Saints' defense can hold the Packers' offense under 14 points.

Drew Brees will need to find Marques Colston, Robert Meachem, Jimmy Graham and Henderson on multiple occasions and have the scoreboard keeper working at Lambeau Field. Not having Lance Moore will mean these guys will have to step up more.  

The Saints need to show balance as well by giving Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas at least 10 carries apiece.

Darren Sproles Needs to Be Effective in Catching the Ball out of the Backfield

There’s no doubt about it—Reggie Bush will be missed by the Saints. Sure he missed a lot of games and had his fair share of turnovers, but the Saints used him in many ways.

Not only did he catch the ball well out of the backfield, the Saints used him well as a decoy. Darren Sproles is going to have to step up and be that type of playmaker this season.

Sproles had a few drops in preseason, but I expect him to settle down and play like he did in San Diego. Sproles needs to have an effective game against the Packers to give Sean Payton and Brees more options to spread the all around.

Shut Down Ryan Grant Early

The Packers are a pass first offense as it is, but it can’t hurt the Saints chances if New Orleans can make Green Bay one-dimensional.

If the Saints take Ryan Grant and the Packers' running game away, then they can focus more on defending the pass.

This is where the revamped defensive line comes in. New additions like Shaun Rogers and Aubrayo Franklin need to play big right away and shut down the run game.

The defensive front will need to get in the face of Aaron Rodgers as well to affect the passing game. The defensive line is going to need to play lights out for the Saints to somewhat contain this explosive offense. 

Limit Turnovers!

No matter who you’re playing, taking care of the football is a top priority. Don’t expect this to change when you’re battling the defending champions.

Brees has to pick his shots carefully through the air because the Packers have one of the best secondaries in football.

Once Brees gets it to a receiver or hands the ball off, the ball carrier has to hold onto the football to avoid the strip.

Turnovers can make or break a game as well as a season for that matter. If you don’t believe me you can ask the San Diego Chargers how their season ended last year.

This matchup should be epic and if the Saints can play well on both sides of the ball while limiting turnovers on offense, they should escape Green Bay with a victory.