Packers demolish Saints to secure playoff berth with season’s first shutout
By Kevin Dotson, CNN
(CNN) — NFL games are rarely as one-sided as Monday night’s contest between the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints.
Playing at home at festive Lambeau Field, the NFL’s youngest team hammered the hapless Saints, dominating New Orleans in all phases of the game on the way to a 34-0 victory.
Green Bay’s defensive dominance produced the first shutout of the 2024 NFL season.
With the lopsided win, Green Bay picked up their 11th win of the year and secured a trip to the playoffs for the second straight season.
Despite boasting the fourth-best record in the NFC, the Packers remarkably still find themselves in third place in their own division, trailing the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, who both sit at 13-2 on the season.
Notable in Green Bay’s dismantling of New Orleans was the balance of the team’s attack.
Nine different Packers players picked up rushing yards for Green Bay led by Josh Jacobs, who had 69 yards and a touchdown. Packers quarterback Jordan Love also threw for 182 yards and completed passes to seven different receivers.
The Green Bay defense was even more impressive, refusing to surrender a point while sacking Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler three times and forcing the rookie into two turnovers – a fumble and an interception.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones once famously said “what they remember is what you do in December,” but Monday night’s fiasco will be a game the Saints would like to forget.
The Packers had twice as many yards of offense in the game and led time of possession by nearly 15 minutes.
Late in the second quarter, the Saints – led by interim head coach Darren Rizzi – twice seemed unaware that precious seconds were ticking off the clock before eventually calling timeouts, and the half ended with a wasted scoring opportunity.
As the Packers look toward the postseason, Green Bay will face two more NFC North rivals to wrap up the regular season. First comes a huge showdown with the Vikings on Sunday followed by a clash with the hated Chicago Bears in the season finale.
The Saints will return home to lick their wounds before a game against the scuffling Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. New Orleans then conclude its season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The-CNN-Wire
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