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