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The New Orleans Saints hosted the Green Bay Packers for a back-and-forth Sunday Night Football showdown between two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks: Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. New Orleans could not overcome Green Bay’s offensive onslaught, falling 37-30.
Both quarterbacks put up extremely similar numbers. Rodgers threw for 283 yards and 3 touchdowns while Brees had 288 yards and 3 touchdowns. With star receiver Davante Adams out, Rodgers looked to Allen Lazard, who scorched the Saints secondary. Lazard caught 6 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown.
Michael Thomas, arguably the best receiver in the NFL, also sat out due to a high ankle sprain suffered in Week 1.
Running back Alvin Kamara continued his dominance in Thomas’ absence, racking up a game-high 13 catches for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kamara also had 58 yards rushing on 6 carries.
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Despite a huge day for Kamara, the defense could not get the stops needed to keep the Packers in check. Penalties were once again a huge problem for the secondary, committing four pass interference penalties that helped keep the Green Bay offense on the field.
Things were not all bad, especially for the rookies. 24th overall pick Cesar Ruiz got tons of action. While he did not get the start, Ruiz saw 51 snaps at guard - up from just 6 in Week 2.
Third-round tight end Adam Trautman also saw a snap increase. He played 32 snaps after seeing just seven in Week 1 and eight in Week 2. Trautman hauled in two catches for 17 yards.
Undrafted rookie defensive tackle Malcolm Roach played 48% of the defensive snaps and seven snaps on special teams.
Rookie linebacker Zack Baun played 15 snaps on special teams. It is unclear what the team has planned for Baun moving forward. An early third-round pick, expectations for Baun are much higher than just a special teams player.
Have to be the most desperate team and it starts with me and our defense. Whatever it takes. More!
— cameron jordan (@camjordan94) September 29, 2020
Pro Bowler Cameron Jordan has put little to no pressure on opposing quarterbacks through three weeks. With the defensive line struggling, the Saints should look to get Baun involved in the pass rush.
New Orleans will travel to Detroit on Sunday to face a 1-2 Lions team. The Saints could get some key pieces back on both sides of the ball in Michael Thomas and Marcus Davenport as they look to get back in the win column.