These two teams are in very different places from when they met at Lambeau early last season.
The last time the New Orleans Saints played at Lambeau Field, the gameday temperature was 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The game was Jordan Love’s fourth career start at quarterback, and he had yet to find his Toyotathon-fueled elite level of play early on in the 2023 season.
That game came down to the wire, ultimately ending with the Saints missing a potential game-winning field goal to give the Packers an 18-17 victory. That result would be crucially important for both teams, who finished the season with matching 9-8 records. The Saints missed out on the NFC South title, losing a tiebreaker to the likewise 9-8 Buccaneers; the Packers claimed the NFC’s 7th and final playoff seed thanks in part to the head-to-head win over New Orleans.
That game was expected to be close, as the Packers came into the game favored by only 1.5 points. This week, however, is very different in nearly every respect aside from the venue.
On Monday night, the projected temperature at kickoff is in the mid-20s, with some snow expected during the day and into the evening. Jordan Love is currently at the peak of his late-season powers, while the Packers have a newly-developed power running game behind Josh Jacobs. And the Saints are playing out the string on the season without their top two receivers, their starting tight end/Swiss Army knife, and probably their starting quarterback and running back.
For those reasons (and more), the Packers are favored by a whopping 14.5 points this week, one of the biggest lines in any NFL game this season. Will they win and clinch a playoff spot, and will they be able to cover that massive spread? Here are our picks for that game and all of the other games around the NFL this weekend.