Christmas came early for the Packers as they are playoff bound for the second year in a row.
A shutout of the New Orleans Saints 34-0 put the Packers at 11 wins and puts them in the playoffs.
Whether it was the Packers offense putting up points, the defense forcing turnovers or the special teams making kicks, it was a total team effort against the Saints.
Granted it was against a Saints team that didn’t have several key pieces, the Packers still didn’t let up against the Saints.
Offense keeps rolling
Another game, another interception free game from Jordan Love.
Love certainly was in the Christmas mood, throwing the ball to 7 different receivers throughout the game.
Leading the way in receiving yards was Jayden Reed with 76 yards on 3 receptions.
Tucker Kraft also had a huge game with 3 receptions for 63 yards.
Love’s stat line though wasn’t as impressive as he was 16-28 for 182 yards and a touchdown.
But Love didn’t need to do much during the game.
A strong running attack led the way for the Packers.
All three running backs scored in the game.
The group, led by Josh Jacobs, dominated the game on offense.
Jacobs led the way with 69 yards on 13 carries.
Emanuel Wilson chipped in with 52 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile Chris Brooks scored his first touchdown as a Packer and had 23 yards.
With a fast start the Packers offense didn’t do too much in the second half.
Defense stifles the Saints
The reason why the offense didn’t have to do too much was the Packers defense.
It’s very rare to see a Packers defense dominate as much as they did against the Saints.
Throughout the game the Saints offense struggled against Jeff Hafley’s defense.
The defense held the Saints to under 200 yards total all game.
Saint QB Spencer Rattler was sacked multiple times and threw a interception to Zayne Anderson, ending any hopes of the Saints scoring.
There was no running game to be concerned about as the Packers defense only allowed 67 rushing yards.
The shut out of the Saints marked the first time the Packers shut out a team since 2021.
It also marked the first time a team was shut out this year.
Special teams
If there was an MVP for special teams it would be Brandon McManus.
The veteran kicker continues to be consistent, only missing one field goal this year.
Against the Saints McManus made all of his extra points and made a 48 and 55 yard field goal.
McManus seems the have solved the early season kicking woes and looks to be the answer the Packers were looking for at kicker.
Playoff bound
As stated earlier in the article, its off to the playoffs for the Packers.
Playoff bound as some would say.
Green Bay has a chance to be the 5,6 or 7 seed and will have to play on the road in the Wild Card round.
Winning 11 games is already a achievement for a team that only won 9 games the season before.
But the Packers also have a chance to finish the season with momentum heading into the playoffs.
The post Shutting down the Saints: The Packers are playoff bound first appeared on PackersTalk.com Blog Posts and Podcasts.