The Packers cruised to a dominant victory on Monday Night, but pulling any meaningful conclusions about the game has proven difficult. The Saints are not a good team, but they were as short handed as a team could possibly be. Green Bay didn’t win with a bunch of splashy plays, they simply went up and down the field against an overmatched opponent. So rather than try to draw any specific conclusions from this game, I thought it best to simply look at a few things that stuck out as the night went on.
The Packers Defense
The Packers pass rush was one of the biggest disappointments in the early parts of the season. Trading Preston Smith however seems to have unlocked a version of the front seven we saw flashes of last year.
Edgerrin Cooper followed up a dominant performance last week against the Seahawks with a 10 tackle performance. Despite playing less than 40% of the total defensive snaps, Cooper ranks 6th in tackles, 4th in sacks and 2nd in TFLs.
Green Bay recorded the first shutout of the 2024 season, and their first since 2021.
The Packers Offense
Jordan Love had a pedestrian outing. Probably his worst in over a month. The Packers scored 34 points. The Saints offense may be terrible but their defense is a solid unit, particularly their pass defense. The injury to Christian Watson is concerning, but this Packers run game is an absolute force right now.
The Packers running back group accounted for 3 touchdowns and nearly five yards per carry. Each back had a least one moment where they plowed through one or more Saints players. Josh Jacobs is obviously integral to the teams long term success, but the Packers have to feel good about the room as a whole.
Luke Musgrave returned to action. The TE was only targeted once as the team obviously intends to bring him back slowly. If Watson misses any time they may need his ability to stretch the field sooner rather than later.
The Violence
More than anything what stuck out to me from this game, was the physicality that this team plays with. It’s not something Packers fans are familiar with seeing from this squad under LaFleur. Running backs trucking over defenders, stiff arming them to the ground. Linebackers squaring up and hitting so hard you can hear the pads on the broadcast. Corners and safeties wrapping up guys in the backfield.
This team plays with schemes from 2024 and an attitude from 1995. It’s unfortunate that the NFL playoff seeding system means this team will likely not have a playoff game at home this year, because not one team in the league would want to come play this version of the Packers in 20 degree weather.
The Packers Kicker
Brandon McManus has made 94 percent of his kicks since arriving in Green Bay. He has not missed an extra point. He nailed a 55 yarder in frigid weather. Why do I keep talking about this?
Anders Carlson has missed multiple extra points this year. Brayden Narveson is making 66% of his field goals. Greg Joseph is on his third team and barely cracking 80% on FG.
The Packers have not had a reliable kicker in years. They now have a good punter, and a great place kicker. I will not stop talking about this for the foreseeable future.
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