The Green Bay Packers welcomed Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints to the confines of Lambeau Field in this NFC showdown. On paper, this looked to be a heavyweight battle between two playoff-caliber teams, except the home team was playing without their legendary quarterback. Brett Hundley made his NFL debut in place of Aaron Rodgers. Brees made NFL history on Sunday when he became the fourth quarterback in NFL history to throw 500-career touchdown passes, and threw for more than 300 yards for the seventh time in seven career games versus Green Bay. In a hard-fought battle, it was the Saints who prevailed 26-17. Here are the Week Seven Green Bay Packers Takeaways.
Week Seven Green Bay Packers Takeaways
Aaron Jones is the Starting Running Back
The Green Bay Packers had a balanced game plan on Sunday, running the ball 24 total times to 25 pass attempts. Rookie running back Aaron Jones carried the ball 17 times for 131 yards including a 46-yard first-quarter touchdown run to open the scoring. Jones did not find the end zone during the rest of the afternoon, but his presence affected the game. He obtained eight of the 16 first downs and clearly outplayed incumbent running back Ty Montgomery who, as the CBS broadcasters said throughout the game, should go back to wide receiver. Montgomery had four carries for six yards.
Brett Hundley Looked Uncomfortable in the Pocket
Green Bay Packers quarterback Hundley looked like a player making his debut. He had some positive flashes where he used his athleticism to buy some time, survey the field, and hit an open receiver. He looked good on designed rollouts, which were unfortunately not called enough. Hundley scored a rushing touchdown during the second quarter to give the Packers a 14-seven lead. By the way the last Packers quarterback to score a rushing touchdown in his debut was… Aaron Rodgers. However, for the most part, he looked a little flush inside the pocket and rushed a few passing plays. Hundley threw an interception late in the fourth quarter, which sealed Green Bay’s fate. After the game, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy blamed himself for the poor play calling, which hampered Hundley.
McCarthy acknowledges Brett Hundley wasn't comfortable in pocket. Says he needs to do better calling plays. Says they'll grow from it.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 22, 2017
Defense Plays Well
On the surface, it does not look like the defense played well. New Orleans gained 485 total yards, including 161 rushing. The Saints were efficient in the red zone scoring on two out of three drives and converted eight of 15 third-downs (53%), as well as one fourth-down. However, both Davon House and Damarious Randall intercepted Brees, which doubled his interceptions total for the year. Nick Perry had the lone sack for Green Bay. Linebacker Blake Martinez had 12 solo tackles, and defensive backs Kentrell Brice and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix had seven and six tackles respectively.
Conclusion
The defense had a strong outing and for the first time in a long time, Packer fans can’t blame the defense for the loss. Rookie running back Aaron Jones has started two games in his NFL career and rushed for more than 100 yards in both. He should be the starter moving forward. If the defense and the running game can maintain this level of play, then the Packers might still have a chance at making the playoffs.
