Thursday, September 28, 2023

Lions at Packers Preview

Week 4 — Lions vs. Packers Preview is HERE.

Total Packers with Matt LaFleur is HERE.

Lions, Packers meet in Thursday night showdown for NFC North lead

DETROIT (2-1) at GREEN BAY (2-1)

DATE / TIME / TV: Thursday, 7:15 p.m. CDT, Prime Video
SERIES RECORD: Packers lead 105-75-7
LAST MEETING: Lions won 20-16 at Green Bay on Jan. 8.
LAST WEEK: Lions won 20-6 at home over Falcons; Packers won 18-17 at home over Saints
LIONS OFFENSE: OVERALL (8), RUSH (11), PASS (7), SCORING (T12)
PACKERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (22), RUSH (23), PASS (T18), SCORING (8)
LIONS DEFENSE: OVERALL (11), RUSH (5), PASS (19), SCORING (15)
PACKERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (15), RUSH (T27), PASS (10), SCORING (T13)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Lions minus-3, Packers plus-2

LIONS PLAYER TO WATCH: TE Sam LaPorta has 18 catches, the most receptions by a rookie tight end in his first three games, surpassing the mark set by Keith Jackson in Philadelphia 35 years ago. He also is the first tight end to have at least five catches in each of his first three games. His 186 yards trail only Aaron Hernandez’s 211 yards in 2011 with the New England Patriots for the most by a player at the position in his first three games. Detroit drafted the former Iowa star No. 34 overall.

PACKERS PLAYER TO WATCH: OLB Rashan Gary is playing a limited number of snaps early this season as he works his way back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that ended his 2022 season prematurely, but he’s a potent pass rusher whenever he’s on the field. Gary had a career-high three sacks Sunday against the Saints.

KEY MATCHUP: Lions running game vs. Packers run defense. After allowing 211 yards rushing in a 25-24 loss at Atlanta, Green Bay’s defense bounced back by holding New Orleans to 77 yards on 22 carries. But that came against a Saints backfield that was missing Jamaal Williams because of an injury and Alvin Kamara because of a suspension. Detroit’s rushing attack offers a tougher challenge, particularly if David Montgomery returns after missing a game with a thigh bruise. The Lions also have rookie first-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs, who rushed for 80 yards on Sunday.

KEY INJURIES: Montgomery and Lions OT Taylor Decker (ankle) are listed as questionable. Montgomery was out last week and Decker has missed two games… Lions safety Joseph Kerby (hip), guard Jonah Jackson (thigh) and CB Emmanuel Moseley (knee/hamstring) also are questionable… Lions OT Matt Nelson, who became a starter with Decker out, has been ruled out with an ankle injury… Lions guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai (knee) and FB Jason Cabinda (knee) also are out… Packers WR Christian Watson has missed each of Green Bay’s first three games and RB Aaron Jones has missed two straight games with hamstring injuries. They're both listed as questionable… guard Elgton Jenkins (knee) and safety Zayne Anderson (hamstring) are out. This will be the third straight game Bakhtiari has missed. Jenkins and Anderson are missing a second straight game… Packers CB Jaire Alexander (back) didn't play Sunday and is questionable for Thursday's game. Packers OT Zach Tom (knee) and CB Carrington Valentine (biceps) also are questionable.

*WEDNESDAY INJURY REPORT*  DETROIT: OUT: FB Jason Cabinda (knee), OT Matt Nelson (ankle), OG Halapoulivaati Vaitai (knee) QUESTIONABLE: RB David Montgomery (thigh), OT Taylor Decker (ankle), OG Jonah Jackson (thigh), CB Kerby Joseph (hip), CB Emmanuel Moseley (knee/hamstring) GREEN BAY: OUT: OT David Bakhtiari (knee), OG Elgton Jenkins (knee), LB De'Vondre Campbell (ankle), S Zayne Anderson (hamstring), QUESTIONABLE: RB Aaron Jones (hamstring), WR Christian Watson (hamstring), OL Zach Tom (knee), CB Jaire Alexander (back), CB Carrington Valentine (biceps)

SERIES NOTES: The Packers have a lopsided lead in the series, but the Lions won the past three meetings. Detroit’s 20-16 victory at Lambeau Field in the final week of the regular season prevented the Packers from reaching the playoffs and ended four-time MVP QB Aaron Rodgers’ tenure in Green Bay… This has been a streaky series lately. The Lions beat the Packers four straight times, then lost the next five matchups with Green Bay before their current three-game win streak… Both Packers-Lions games this season will take place on a Thursday. The Packers visit Detroit on Thanksgiving Day.

STATS AND STUFF: Detroit has scored 20-plus points in 12 straight games — one short of the franchise record set in 1995 — and that’s the longest active streak in the NFL by at least three games… The Lions had six players combine for seven sacks last week, the most players they’ve had with a sack in a game since 1991… Lions QB Jared Goff has thrown an INT in two straight games, including a pick-6 in loss to Seattle, after he went 383 passes without an INT in the third-longest streak in NFL history. Goff has had a passer rating or 85 or more in 10 straight games, the longest active run in the league and the best in franchise history… Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and Odell Beckham (2014-16) had six-plus catches or more in their first 36 games, the most in NFL history… Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson is the first player in league history with at least 10 sacks and three interceptions through the first 20 games of a career… Lions Rookie DB Brian Branch is the first player since at least 1994 to have 10 tackles, included three for losses, and two pass defended in a game as he had against Atlanta… The Packers are coming off one of their biggest comebacks ever. Sunday’s 18-17 victory over the Saints marked just the second time in franchise history that the Packers had won a game they had trailed by at least 17 points heading into the fourth quarter, according to Elias Sports Bureau. The other time came in a 24-23 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sept. 9, 2018. … Packers QB Jordan Love has thrown seven TD passes and only one INT in his first season as a starter… Six of Love’s seven TD passes have gone to players in their first or second pro seasons. Romeo Doubs, a 2022 fourth-round pick, has three TD catches. Rookie second-round pick Jayden Reed has two and rookie fifth-round selection Dontayvion Wicks has one.

NFL WEEK 4 SCHEDULE
ALL TIMES ARE CENTRAL TIME ZONE (GREEN BAY TIME)

Thursday, September 28
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers, 7:15 p.m., Prime Video

Sunday, October 1
Atlanta Falcons vs Jacksonville Jaguars (Wembley), 8:30 a.m., ESPN+
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills, 12:00 p.m., CBS
Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers, 12:00 p.m., FOX
Denver Broncos at Chicago Bears, 12:00 p.m., CBS
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns, 12:00 p.m., CBS
Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Texans, 12:00 p.m., CBS
Los Angeles Rams at Indianapolis Colts, 12:00 p.m., FOX
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints, 12:00 p.m., FOX
Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles, 12:00 p.m., FOX
Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans, 12:00 p.m., FOX
Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers, 3:05 p.m., CBS
New England Patriots at Dallas Cowboys, 3:25 p.m., FOX
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers, 3:25 p.m., FOX
Kansas City Chiefs at New York Jets, 7:20 p.m., NBC

Monday, October 2
Seattle Seahawks at New York Giants, 7:15 p.m., ESPN

Monday, September 25, 2023

2023 NFL Week 3 — Saints at Packers

Saints vs. Packers Game Highlights can be seen HERE.

Coach Matt LaFleur 1-on-1 are HERE.

Packers Celebrate in the Locker Room are HERE.

Coach Matt LaFleur Post-Game Comments are HERE.

QB Jordan Love Post-Game Comments are HERE.

LB Rashan Gary Post-Game Comments are HERE.

LB Preston Smith Post-Game Comments are HERE.

TE Luke Musgrave Post-Game Comments are HERE.

WR Jayden Reed Post-Game Comments are HERE.

DL Kenny Clark Post-Game Comments are HERE.

WR Romeo Doubs Post-Game Comments are HERE.

K Anders Carlson Post-Game Comments are HERE.

Saints Coach Dennis Allen Post-Game Comments are HERE.

Jameis Winston Post-Game Comments are HERE.

NFL WEEK 3 RESULTS
ALL TIMES ARE CENTRAL TIME ZONE (GREEN BAY TIME)

Thursday, September 21
New York Giants 12, San Francisco 49ers 30

Sunday, September 24
Indianapolis Colts 22, Baltimore Ravens 19
Tennessee Titans 3, Cleveland Browns 27
Atlanta Falcons 6, Detroit Lions 20
New Orleans Saints 17, Green Bay Packers 18
Houston Texans 37, Jacksonville Jaguars 17
Denver Broncos 20, Miami Dolphins 70
Los Angeles Chargers 28, Minnesota Vikings 24
New England Patriots 15, New York Jets 10
Buffalo Bills 37, Washington Commanders 3
Carolina Panthers 27, Seattle Seahawks 37
Dallas Cowboys 16, Arizona Cardinals 28
Chicago Bears 10, Kansas City Chiefs 41
Pittsburgh Steelers 23, Las Vegas Raiders 18

Monday, September 25
Philadelphia Eagles 25, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 11
Los Angeles Rams 16, Cincinnati Bengals 19

Friday, September 22, 2023

Saints at Packers Preview


Saints look to remain unbeaten as they visit Lambeau Field in Packers' home opener

NEW ORLEANS (2-0) at GREEN BAY (1-1)

DATE / TIME / TV: Sunday, 12:00 p.m. CDT, FOX
SERIES RECORD: Packers lead 17-10
LAST MEETING: Saints won 38-3 on Sept. 12, 2021, at Jacksonville, Florida.
LAST WEEK: Saints won 20-17 at Carolina on Monday; Packers lost 25-24 at Atlanta on Sunday.
PACKERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (26), RUSH (25), PASS (23), SCORING (2)
SAINTS OFFENSE: OVERALL (10), RUSH (18), PASS (8), SCORING (25)
PACKERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (27), RUSH (30), PASS (17), SCORING (14)
SAINTS DEFENSE: OVERALL (4), RUSH (14), PASS (7), SCORING (T5)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Saints plus-1, Packers plus-3

SAINTS PLAYER TO WATCH: Chris Olave, a 2022 first-round draft choice out of Ohio State, has emerged as New Orleans’ top receiver and has been its best overall offensive playmaker during star running back Alvin Kamara’s three-game suspension. He has 14 catches for 198 yards through two games, with a 40-plus-yard reception in each game. Olave could end up seeing a lot of Green Bay’s Jaire Alexander, a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback who will be seeking to bounce back from a subpar performance in Atlanta.

PACKERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Jordan Love leads the NFL in passer rating early in his first full season as a starter, but he’s only completing 55.8% of his passes. His inexperience showed in Green Bay’s previous game, as he went 0 for 6 in the fourth quarter as the Packers failed to get a first down and squandered a 24-12 lead. Now he gets ready for his first regular-season home start.

KEY MATCHUP: Packers offensive line vs. Saints defensive line: An injury to left guard Elgton Jenkins and the uncertainty of left tackle David Bakhtiari’s health status create plenty of questions for the Packers as they face off with a potent Saints front. New Orleans’ Carl Granderson has 2½ sacks through the first two games of the season, and Cameron Jordan is an eight-time Pro Bowl selection.

KEY INJURIES: Saints RB Jamaal Williams (hamstring) isn’t expected to play Sunday… Saints TE Foster Moreau is dealing with an ankle injury… Saints rookie RB Kendre Miller is expected to make his debut Sunday after missing two games with a hamstring injury… Jenkins is out for the Packers with a sprained medial collateral ligament… Bakhtiari missed the Falcons game with lingering knee issues that have limited him the past few years… Packers WR Christian Watson (hamstring) has missed Green Bay’s first two games… Packers RB Aaron Jones (hamstring) missed the Falcons game.

*SATURDAY INJURY REPORT*  NEW ORLEANS: OUT: RB Jamaal Williams (hamstring). DOUBTFUL: TE Foster Moreau (ankle). QUESTIONABLE: S Ugo Amdi (knee), CB Paulson Adebo (hamstring). GREEN BAY: OUT: S Zayne Anderson (hamstring), G Elgton Jenkins (knee). QUESTIONABLE: RB Aaron Jones (hamstring), LB Lukas Van Ness (elbow), WR Christian Watson (hamstring), T David Bakhtiari (NIR-resting player/knee), C Jaire Alexander (back).

The Packers hope to get RB Aaron Jones (hamstring), WR Christian Watson (hamstring), and T David Bakhtiari (knee, rest) back after listing them as questionable. CB Jaire Alexander (back) is also questionable after a limited practice Friday. LB Lukas Van Ness (elbow) rounds out that group while G Elgton Jenkins (knee) and S Zayne Anderson (hamstring) have been ruled out.

SERIES NOTES: Although the Packers lead the series 17-10, the Saints have won three of the past four meetings. Their most recent matchup — a Saints 38-3 victory in the opening week of the 2021 season — was moved from New Orleans to Jacksonville because of the impact of Hurricane Ida. Love made his NFL debut that day, as he came in for Aaron Rodgers after the Saints had put the game out of reach. The Packers’ previous win over the Saints was a 37-30 victory at New Orleans on Sept. 27, 2020. The previous time the Saints played at Lambeau Field, they won 26-17 on Oct. 22, 2017. The Saints and Packers held joint practices in Green Bay last year. This marks the fourth time the Packers have opened their home schedule against the Saints. They won their three previous home openers in this series.

STATS AND STUFF: The Saints have allowed 20 points or fewer in each of their past 10 games, the longest active streak of any NFL team… The Saints are trying to start 3-0 for the first time since 2013, when they began 5-0… The Saints’ 30-12 road record since 2018 leads the NFC and ranks behind only the Kansas City Chiefs’ 32-9 road mark among NFL teams… The Saints haven’t scored a first-half TD this season and have just three total TDs in two games… Saints S Marcus Maye will be serving the first of a three-game suspension in Week 3… Saints RB Alvin Kamara will be serving the last of a three-game suspension… Olave is one of three NFL players (along with Justin Jefferson and Puka Nacua) with at least 85 yards receiving in each of the first two weeks… Saints CB Paulson Adebo had his first-career fumble recovery in Week 2… Both teams have rookie kickers. New Orleans’ Blake Grupe has made all of his first five field-goal attempts and all three of his extra points. Green Bay’s Anders Carlson is 2 of 2 on field-goal attempts — including a 52-yarder — and 8 of 8 on extra points… The Packers’ 27-6 regular-season home record since 2018 leads all NFL teams… The Packers have won their past 10 home openers, the NFL’s longest active streak… The Packers haven’t committed a turnover through their first two games… WR Jayden Reed is the second Packer since the AFL-NFL merger to have multiple touchdown catches in one of his first two games as a pro. The other was James Lofton in 1978… Packers LB Quay Walker scored on a 37-yard interception return in Green Bay’s season-opening victory at Chicago and followed that up by making a career-high 17 tackles in the loss to the Falcons… When the Saints and Packers last played each other on September 12, 2021, New Orleans won by a score of 38-3. In their 26 meetings prior to that game, the Saints had never beaten the Packers by more than 22 points and never held them to fewer than 10… The Saints have allowed two or fewer scrimmage touchdowns in each of their last 10 games dating back to last season. They have just one longer streak in franchise history, a span of 18 consecutive games spanning the 1990 and 1991 seasons… Chris Olave (17 career games) eclipsed 1200 career receiving yards in the Saints' Week 2 victory over Carolina. He is tied with Michael Thomas, Willie Snead IV and Marques Colston for the fewest games to reach 1200 career receiving yards in team history… Green Bay lost in Week 2 to Atlanta, 25-24, after allowing the Falcons to rally back from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Prior to this game, the Packers had not lost and blown a 12+ point lead in the fourth quarter since October 12, 2003 (blew 17-point lead vs. Chiefs)… Jordan Love has thrown three touchdown passes in each of his first two starts of the season. The only Packers quarterback with a longer streak to start a season in franchise history was Brett Favre in 1996 (three)… Marshon Lattimore has five batted down passes this season, the most in the NFL. Lattimore has 83 passes defended in his career with New Orleans, the most by any player in the last 30 seasons (since 1994).

NFL WEEK 3 SCHEDULE
ALL TIMES ARE CENTRAL TIME ZONE (GREEN BAY TIME)

Thursday, September 21
New York Giants 12, San Francisco 49ers 30

Sunday, September 24
Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens, 12:00 p.m., CBS
Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns, 12:00 p.m., CBS
Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions, 12:00 p.m., FOX
New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers, 12:00 p.m., FOX
Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars, 12:00 p.m., FOX
Denver Broncos at Miami Dolphins, 12:00 p.m., CBS
Los Angeles Chargers at Minnesota Vikings, 12:00 p.m., FOX
New England Patriots at New York Jets, 12:00 p.m., CBS
Buffalo Bills at Washington Commanders, 12:00 p.m., CBS
Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks, 3:05 p.m., CBS
Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals, 3:25 p.m., FOX
Chicago Bears at Kansas City Chiefs, 3:25 p.m., FOX
Pittsburgh Steelers at Las Vegas Raiders, 7:20 p.m., NBC

Monday, September 25
Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 6:15 p.m., ABC
Los Angeles Rams at Cincinnati Bengals, 7:15 p.m., ESPN

Sunday, September 17, 2023

2023 NFL Week 2 — Packers at Falcons


Packers vs. Falcons Game Highlights can be seen HERE.

Jordan Love Game Highlights can be seen HERE.

Matt LaFleur 1-on-1 can be seen HERE.

Matt LaFleur Post-Game Comments can be seen HERE.

QB Jordan Love Post-Game Comments can be seen HERE.

RB AJ DIllon Post-Game Comments can be seen HERE.

WR Jayden Reed Post-Game Comments can be seen HERE.

LB Quay Walker Post-Game Comments can be seen HERE.

LB Rashan Gary Post-Game Comments can be seen HERE.


NFL Week 2 Results

Thursday, September 14
Minnesota Vikings 28, Philadelphia Eagles 34

Sunday, September 17
Green Bay Packers 24, Atlanta Falcons 25
Las Vegas Raiders 10, Buffalo Bills 38
Baltimore Ravens 27, Cincinnati Bengals 24
Seattle Seahawks 37, Detroit Lions 31
Indianapolis Colts 31, Houston Texans 20
Kansas City Chiefs 17, Jacksonville Jaguars 9
Chicago Bears 17, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27
Los Angeles Chargers 24, Tennessee Titans 27
New York Giants 31, Arizona Cardinals 28
San Francisco 49ers 30, Los Angeles Rams 23
New York Jets 10, Dallas Cowboys 30
Washington Commanders 35, Denver Broncos 33
Miami Dolphins 24, New England Patriots 17

Monday, September 18
New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers, 6:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers, 7:15 p.m. (ABC)