Unpacking the Game: Saints vs Packers

The second preseason game is in the books. After two joint practices earlier in the week on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Packers faced off last night against the New Orleans Saints and won 20-10. This was another opportunity for the players, especially bubble players, to continue to make a push for a roster spot — and several were able to do that. I will be unpacking what I observed from my seat in section 112, while also providing takeaways from the game.

Let's start with who everyone is talking about, Jordan Love. After only playing the first half in the first exhibition game against the 49ers, Love went on to play 3 quarters against the Saints. This extra time is crucial to understanding where Love is at in his development. Love started the game hot, completing nearly 75% of his throws before drops and some miscues derailed an otherwise productive night. It is worth noting that Matt LaFleur called the plays in the first half, while Offensive Coordinator Adam Stenavich called the plays in the second half.

📷 Evan Siegle | Packers.com

On the first snap of the game, Love went through his reads before seeing an open lane down the middle of the field, where he was able to scramble for 11 yards. He then hit Juwann Winfree on a shallow crosser to convert on third down. The drive ended with a 25-yard field goal by recently signed kicker Ramiz Ahmed. In the second quarter, Love had a beautiful pass in tight coverage to Juwann Winfree. He had great concentration and reached out at the last second to secure the catch against double coverage. Love then threw a 50/50 ball to Romeo Doubs in the end zone and he was able to sky over the defender for a TD. The two plays that Winfree and Doubs combined to make were very reminiscent of plays that we became accustomed to Davante Adams making. This is days after Rodgers met with the group of WRs and deplored their recent spell of drops and poorly ran routes. Both players made great strides toward earning Rodgers' trust. With Rodgers, more trust leads to more targets.

Good

Jordan Love continued to show his progression and development. Post-game, LaFleur stated "I see a much more decisive player out there." Love has looked far more sharp and is going through his reads much more quickly. He is also putting noticeably more power into his throws. This has been noted regularly throughout OTAs and training camp as well.

The starting offensive line played much of the first three quarters and looked solid. Rookie Zach Tom did not allow a single pressure in the game. On the whole, the O-line only allowed one sack.

There is a competitive battle heating up for the backup RB spots. UDFA RB Tyler Goodson continued to make a strong push for a roster spot. He looked decisive running the ball and rushed for 42 yards on 10 carries. He also had one catch for 10 yards. RB Patrick Taylor rushed 8 times for 27 yards and almost secured a spectacular toe-tap catch for a TD, which was credited as a drop. Their contributions will make it a difficult decision when roster cuts happen.

There appears to be a battle brewing for the backup safety positions as well. With Darnell Savage out with a hamstring injury, it is possible that he may not play to start the season. If that were the case, Shawn Davis would likely be the penciled in starter. He racked up 5 solo tackles and scooped up a fumble before running it down to the Saints' 30 yard line. Recently signed safety Micah Abernathy received more snaps than anticipated after Vernon Scott injured his shoulder in the first half. He took full advantage of this opportunity and went on to have 4 total tackles and one spectacular sideline interception. He may very well be playing himself into a roster spot.

📷 Evan Siegle | Packers.com

QB3 Danny Etling had a nice RPO in the fourth quarter that resulted in a 51 yard rushing touchdown. Etling was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 7th round of the draft in 2018. That preseason, he had a 86 yard rushing touchdown. He looked sharp passing the ball, but it is clear that he also has speed. With Etling and Love being a bit more athletic with their legs, I would be curious to see if LaFleur designs some plays for them to showcase their athleticism.

The defense put together a fairly solid performance. They were consistently getting good inside pressure and collapsing the pocket. Saints QB Ian Book was then having to escape the pocket and use his legs. As a result, he was the Saints leading rusher with a stat line of 7 rushes for 49 yards. Other than one chunk run that resulted in most of that yardage, the defense kept him well-contained. Rookie OLB Kingsley Enagbare was not credited with a sack, but he did have his hands on Book at least twice. He was flagged for horse-collaring on what would have been a sack. On the back end, the defensive backs held the passing game to 113 yards and only gave up one touchdown — a 20 yard TD catch by rookie WR Chris Olave with just 12 seconds remaining in the first half.

Three former USFL players made a nice contribution. TE Sal Cannella had one reception for 13 yards and was able to bulldoze through two defenders. K Ramiz Ahmed was 2/2 on field goals and 2/2 on extra points. As I previously mentioned, S Micah Abernathy put together quite a showing for himself. It is nice to see another football league's success is translating well to the NFL.

Bad

Drops continued to be an issue for the pass catchers. I counted five drops that should have all been catches.

- WR Romeo Doubs had a drop on a nice 50/50 ball placed along the sideline early in the game.

- RB Patrick Taylor had a chance at a well-thrown ball in the end zone on third down. Instead, Ahmed had to kick a field goal.

- Love had WR Samore Toure open downfield for a substantial gain, but he could not hold onto the ball.

- WR Amari Rodgers had an 18 yard reception that was initially called a catch, challenged by the Saints, and later overturned due to Rodgers not maintaining possession as he went to the turf.

- WR Rodgers also short-armed a catch that he should have made, had he fully extended to it with his arms.

When you remove these drops from Jordan Love's stat line, you have a much better picture of his development. He was by no means perfect, though. He had a few missed opportunities on some short throws where he rolled out to the right but proceeded to through the ball into the dirt at the receiver's feet. He continues to work on accuracy with his off-platform throws. Love finished the night 12-24 with 113 passing yards, 13 yards rushing, and no interceptions.

Penalties awarded the Saints at least two first downs that I can think of. Although there were only 6 penalties assessed on the Packers for a total of 36 yards, they allowed the Saints to balance the time of possession. At the end of the first half, the Packers had the ball for nearly twice as long as the Saints. By the end of the game, both teams had the ball for about 30 minutes each.

Ugly

TE Tyler Davis continued to have blunders in limited snaps. Early in the game, he was assessed a penalty for holding which negated a 17-yard completion that would have resulted in a first down. He later had a catch for 7 yards that he ended up fumbling as he turned to cut upfield. He has more than likely lost his spot on the 53-man roster. In recent weeks, the organization and ST Coordinator Rich Bisaccia have praised Davis for his playmaking abilities.

Special teams continued to struggle in kick coverage. K Ahmed had four kicks that were returned for a total of 137 yards. There were several missed tackles that would have downed the runner much sooner. In one instance, Ahmed had to make the tackle. Had he not, the runner would have scored a TD. To make matters worse, the punt return unit only had 10 players on it at one point during the game. Special teams continues to be a thorn in the side of the team.

Trending Up 📈

Jordan Love

Isaiah McDuffie

Tyler Goodson

Micah Abernathy

Chris Slayton

Trending Down 📉

Tyler Davis

Samori Toure

Devonte Wyatt

Ty Summers

The Packers, like all NFL teams, will need to cut down to 80 players by Tuesday. It will be worth keeping an eye out for players being cut in the coming days. I will also release another roster prediction this week.

What are your thoughts on the game? Drop your thoughts in the comments below. 👇