The Green Bay Packers might be the best third-place team in NFL history.
The Packers can’t win the division despite being 11-4, because the Detroit Lions or Minnesota Vikings are each 13-2 and one of them has to win (or they tie) when they will meet in Week 18. But the Packers are on the short list of teams capable of winning a Super Bowl.
Green Bay didn’t have a tough challenge Monday night against a depleted New Orleans Saints team, but they did what elite teams do and completely dominated a bad team. The Packers scored touchdowns on each of their first three drives and it was pretty much over after that. A Saints team that had Spencer Rattler, Kendre Miller and Foster Moreau as its top playmakers was not coming back from a 21-0 hole. Green Bay slowed down in the second half and cruised to a 34-0 victory.
The Packers’ shutout was the NFL’s first this season. The Saints came in having been shut out just once in their previous 369 games, according to ESPN.
The Packers have been good all season. They haven’t lost to a team all season with a record worse than 12-3. They have just been overshadowed in their own division. But with QB Jordan Love looking as healthy and sharp as he has all season, and Josh Jacobs throwing heartbreaking touchdowns, the Packers aren’t a team anyone will want to face, even if they’re the top seed. No. 6 series in the NFC.
The Saints are no match for the Packers
It’s sad to see the Saints at the end of the season. Against Green Bay, they were without Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Taysom Hill on offense. It’s hard to compete while missing so many key players on one side of the ball.
Monday night, the Saints looked like a team that wasn’t taking advantage of the cold at Lambeau Field, knew it couldn’t compete and just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.
There were some clock management issues at the end of the first half. The Saints were slow to call a timeout with less than a minute to play, then lost 24 seconds when they didn’t realize the clock was running after an out-of-bounds fumble. That’s the responsibility of interim coach Darren Rizzi. Then Spencer Rattler took a 14-yard sack while holding the ball too long, costing New Orleans a chance to get at least a field goal.
Not that poor wait time management matters much. The Packers led 21-0 with more than six minutes left in the second quarter. There’s no mercy rule in football, but the only thing that kept the Saints from getting beaten by 50 was that Packers coach Matt LaFleur had no reason to get involved. .
Packers peak late
The Packers’ offense has adjusted as the season has progressed. They seem to have finally decided on their identity.
Love has been good, but he hasn’t been much of a passer lately. The Packers channel a lot through Jacobs, who scored again Monday. He has had a touchdown in six straight games. Love is perfectly capable when the Packers need to lean on him, especially now that he is fully recovering from some early-season injuries. He was 12 of 18 for 127 yards in the first half Monday night.
Green Bay is primarily preparing for the playoffs, as the only real intrigue the Packers have left is which seed they end up with. This helps, because as each week passes, the Packers appear more and more like a serious threat in the NFC.
The Packers weren’t really tested Monday. The Saints are far from a playoff-level team. But Green Bay has shown in recent weeks that it can beat anyone in the NFL.
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