After a thrilling win over the Detroit Lions in week six, the New Orleans Saints turn their attention to the Green Bay Packers, who will be without their All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In Rodgers’ place will be Brett Hundley, who will be making his first NFL start against a hot New Orleans defense. Despite this setback for the Packers, Huntley will have the home crowd at Lambeau Field supporting him, and the Saints should not underestimate that advantage. These two teams have taken part in some memorable clashes when they’ve met in recent years; expect this to be another one. Here’s a breakdown of the Packers strengths and weaknesses on offense, defense, and special teams.
New Orleans Saints Week Seven Opponent Breakdown: Green Bay Packers
Packers Offense
Hundley took over for the injured Rodgers in the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings, and finished with a less than impressive passer rating of 30.6. On his first pass attempt, the ball was tipped and intercepted by Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes; Hundley went on to throw two more interceptions. The next one came on an attempted throw to wide receiver Jordy Nelson as the pocket collapsed around Hundley. He managed to step up and avoid the sack, but didn’t see Vikings safety Harrison Smith lurking in coverage underneath in perfect position for the pick.
Hundley did have some highlights though, including a beautiful back-shoulder throw to Nelson on a third-down play. He also showed great awareness on his touchdown pass to Davante Adams, scrambling away from pressure in the backfield. Hundley’s movement froze the Vikings defenders, and he found a hole in their zone coverage where Adams was waiting.
Facing pressure throughout the game, Hundley was sacked four times behind an offensive line that has struggled to stay healthy in 2017. Starting tackles Bryan Bulaga and David Bakhtiari, as well as left guard Lane Taylor left the game due to injury and did not return. Bulaga is likely to play on Sunday, while the status of both Bakhtiari and Taylor is questionable.
The Packers talented receiving corps is Hundley’s best asset right now. Adams, Nelson, and Randall Cobb have combined for 79 catches, 875 receiving yards, and 12 touchdowns. Hundley also has tight end Martellus Bennett, who excels at making contested catches in coverage, and is expecially valuable on third-downs. Running back Ty Montgomery is effective on routes from the backfield, and when he’s split out as a wide receiver.
Green Bay will need to establish their ground game to take some weight off Hundley’s shoulders, but so far they have struggled to do so this season. Montgomery is really a converted wide receiver, and it’s beginning to show despite an impressive campaign in 2016. He finished last season with 5.9 rushing yards per attempt, but is averaging just 3.2 yards per carry in 2017. Aaron Jones, who started the season as the Packers fourth-string running back, showed some promise in week five with 125 rushing yards, but managed to pick up just 41 yards last week.
Packers Defense
The Saints beat the Lions with their ground game, and should use this strategy again this week. The Packers are allowing an average of 119.8 rushing yards per game, and 4.2 yards per carry. Those numbers rank 24th, and 19th in the league, respectively, and they have given up over 100 rushing yards in every game since week two. Green Bay’s struggles in this area were particularly noticeable against the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys, who both excel at running the ball. They gave up 141 rushing yards against the Falcons potent combination of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, and surrendered 163 rushing yards to the Cowboys.
The Packers pass defense has been much more impressive. Utilizing a 3-4 defensive front, they run exotic blitzes and create consistent pressure for opposing quarterbacks. This has helped Green Bay’s defense allow just eight touchdown passes, and 206.3 passing yards per game which ranks 11th in the NFL. No quarterback has thrown for more than 250 yards against this defense yet.
The Packers have also forced 11 takeaways this season, including a league-high seven fumble recoveries. Injuries in the secondary are a problem for Green Bay heading into week seven. Safety Morgan Burnett hasn’t practiced all week, cornerback Davon House has been a limited participant, and rookie cornerback Kevin King is recovering from a concussion.
Packers Special Teams
Kicker Mason Crosby has made all six of his field goals this season, but has missed two extra points already. In the punting game, Justin Vogel averages 45.6 yards per punt, which ranks 18th in the NFL. Trevor Davis and Jeff Janis haven’t made much noise on kick or punt returns. However, the Saints showed poor coverage last week on a 74-yard punt return touchdown by the Lions Jamal Agnew. Green Bay could make their punt return game a point of emphasis against New Orleans to help Hundley start drives with good field position.
Main Image:
