The Green Bay Packers (10-4) are coming off of a dominating win against the Seattle Seahawks last week on Sunday Night Football and have another chance to dominate on primetime television against the New Orleans Saints this Monday. If Titletown can come out on top at home, they will have officially clinched a spot in the 2025 NFL Playoffs. However, the Packers’ defense can not afford to look too far into the future as they need to focus on taking care of business at Lambeau.
Packers Defense Has Nothing To Worry About Against Saints in Week 16
As we enter the last few weeks of the regular season, the Packers remain in contention for the NFC North. Although it would take a miracle for either the Detroit Lions or the Minnesota Vikings not to be crowned champions of the North, the Packers are undoubtedly one of the scarier teams in the league. Josh Jacobs is a dominant force. Jordan Love is playing complementary football to pair up with the dominance in the run game. The defense is doing just enough to keep comfortable leads against some good offenses. And the special teams, particularly Daniel Whelan and Brandon McManus, have been impeccable.
The Saints, on the other hand, have seen their fair share of ups and downs throughout the season. Unfortunately, they will likely face more downs than ups once Monday rolls around.
No Alvin Kamara Against Packers Defense
Kamara has been the centerpiece for the Saints offense for the entirety of the season, both in the run game and in the pass game. The running back leads the team in rushing yards and receiving yards by a wide margin and accounts for roughly 31% of the Saints’ total yardage on offense. They will probably be without him this week for the first time this season, leaving the offense reliant on the likes of an inexperienced Kendre Miller and a depleted receiving corps.
Spencer Rattler Gets The Start Versus Packers Defense
With Derek Carr suffering a hand injury, the former Sooner will be getting his fourth career start against Green Bay and will look to land his first victory as a starter in the NFL. In Rattler’s previous three starts, he has thrown two touchdowns, two interceptions, fumbled three times, and has been sacked 14 times. He will be up against a defensive front that got seven sacks against Seattle the week prior and a defense that averages the fourth most takeaways per game in 2024.
Saints Run Defense Dealing With Jacobs
The offense is not the only facet of New Orleans football that seems to be in shambles, as the run defense has also struggled to find its groove. The Saints allow 134.4 rushing yards per game to opponents, which is the sixth most in the league. They also allow the eighth most first-down conversions on the run and the third most rushing yards per attempt to opponents. Jacobs will look to feast on what the Saints will inevitably give him.
No Worries For Packers Defense
While the Packers defense has been witnessing a fair share of injuries at key positions, the Saints have seen much of the same on the offensive side of the ball. Derek Carr, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Taysom Hill, and Alvin Kamara are all dealing with ailments preventing them from helping New Orleans come out on top in this one. All Green Bay has to do is focus on the task at hand and they are in the playoffs.
