By Timothy An

Sunday, Sept. 27 at 8:20 p.m. ET

NBC

SPREAD: Saints, -3

The Sunday Night Football matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints features two of the top teams in the NFC. Both these teams have the best odds to win their respective divisions, so we can expect this game to show us which team is better equipped for a deep playoff run this season. 

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers have started this year 2-0, scoring 40+ points in back-to-back games against division rivals. Aaron Rodgers finally looks 100% healthy again, throwing for 604 yards with 6 touchdowns and zero interceptions thus far. The key to this offense, however, is Aaron Jones who leads the league in rushing with 234 yards, along with 3 rushing touchdowns, 78 receiving yards, and a receiving touchdown. Matt LaFleur seems to finally have found the keys to creating one of the most dynamic offenses in the National Football League. 

The Packers offense was able to throw the ball at will in Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings, as Rodgers threw for 364 yards and 4 touchdowns, with zero interceptions. In week two, after the injury of Davante Adams, the Packers decided to pound the ball with Aaron Jones and obliterate the Lions defense with their zone running schemes. It seems as if the Packers offense is clicking, and has found the ability to run and pass the ball at will. We will see if the league leaders in points per game and yards per game can continue their success against the Saints defense come Sunday night. 

Defensively, the Packers boast a frightening defensive front, with Za’Darius and Preston Smith anchoring down the edges, who both with double digit sack totals last year. The Packers also have 2019’s first round pick in Rashan Gary who already has 1.5 sacks, and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark. They combine this dangerous defensive front with playmakers in the secondary to create lots of big plays. Cornerback Jaire Alexander leads the secondary as one of the top corners in the NFL. He is paired up with Kevin King, a big, physical corner who led the Packers in picks last season, combined with safeties Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage, two athletic freaks. The Packers defense relies on getting pressure up front and using the athletic abilities of the secondary to create turnovers and sacks. We will see if they can fluster veteran quarterback Drew Brees on Sunday night. 

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints come into Week 3 after a disappointing loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night. Drew Brees had an abysmal performance in that game, frequently missing easy throws and showing an inability to get the ball downfield. He threw for 312 yards and a touchdown and one interception, but most of these yards came towards the end of the game, as the Raiders fell back into looser coverage. Brees has not looked like the Hall of Fame quarterback we are used to seeing, and with all this chatter about his decline, this is the perfect opportunity to see if Brees can still compete with the top teams in the NFC. 

The Saints’ offense was without Michael Thomas Monday night and can expect to be without him again for this game. Last week, the Saints couldn’t get the ball downfield at all and relied heavily on the short passing game, which the Raiders successfully locked up. The key to the Saints offense, now that Michael Thomas is hurt, comes down to Emmanuel Sanders and Jared Cook. We know Alvin Kamara will get his fair share of touches, but a talented defense like the Packers will zone in on this and try to contain him as much as possible. We will have to see if Jared Cook and Emmanuel Sanders can catch more than 3 balls this Sunday night to help this offense get rolling. 

The Saints defense is one of the most talented units on paper but hasn’t been producing like one in the past two weeks. In Week 1 against the Buccaneers, they did a fantastic job slowing down the dangerous weapons Tom Brady has, but that can be attributed more to the Buccaneers unfamiliarity with each other rather than to the Saints stellar defense. Last week against the Raiders, it seemed like the Saints could do nothing to stop that offense from doing what they wanted to do. The Raiders offense became very predictable, pounding the rock and throwing to Darren Waller, but the Saints simply could not stop it. Cameron Jordan and Malcolm Jenkins have not looked like their normal selves so far, and it’ll be interesting to see if they can pick it back up for primetime football Sunday night. 

Prediction

Though the Saints are favored in this matchup, they got matched up with the Packers at the wrong time. The Packers offense is firing on all cylinders right now, while the Saints are still trying to find their groove. To make matters even worse, the Saints are missing arguably the best receiver in the league (Michael Thomas), which will make it much more difficult for Brees to get this offense rolling. The Saints should be able to slow down Aaron Jones and the Packers rushing attack, but will not be able to slow down Aaron Rodgers, with or without Davante Adams. 

This game will come down to whether the Saints can keep up with the Packers’ electric offense. Alvin Kamara will do his thing and have a pretty solid game, but if Sanders and Cook don’t show up big time, there’s nothing this offense can really do. Overall, the Packers’ defense should be able to slow down the passing game and upset the Saints in the Superdome.

SHAWN’S PREDICTION: Packers 35 - 31

AJ’S PREDICTION: Packers 27 - 18

DAGEN’S PREDICTION: Saints 35 - 31

JAKE’S PREDICTION: Saints 35 - 27

CADE’S PREDICTION: Packers 13 - 3

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