Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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The Packers, with second-year pro Ty Summers getting the first defensive snaps of his career filling in for an injured Christian Kirksey (shoulder) and calling the signals, kept enough other weapons in check. The Saints only had one gain from someone other than Kamara longer than 13 yards until their final drive when they kicked a field goal to set up an onside kick, which never went 10 yards.
The Packers' defense also got the first two sacks of Kingsley Keke's career, while Summers and undrafted rookie Krys Barnes were the two leading tacklers.
It allowed Green Bay to come out on top as two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Rodgers and Drew Brees, had very similar games statistically with three TD passes apiece.
Brees threw for five more yards (288 to 283), had just seven incompletions (29-of-36) to Rodgers' 11 (21-of-32), and posted a passer rating just a tick higher (127.8 to 124.9) with both missing their top receiver to injury. The Saints' Michael Thomas (ankle) and the Packers' Davante Adams (hamstring) didn't play.
It was the Packers getting a career-high 146 receiving yards and a TD from Allen Lazard, and involving the tight ends to the tune of a combined nine catches for 104 yards and two TDs for Robert Tonyan, Jace Sternberger and Marcedes Lewis, who emerged with enough other options to make the difference.
"It wasn't an explosion of offense but the efficiency was really, really good," said Rodgers, referring to the Packers going 4-for-5 in the red zone and 5-for-11 on third downs.
Lazard's big night included two deep balls amongst his six catches – a 48-yard reception down to the 2 in the second quarter and a 72-yard catch-and-run down to the 3 to open the third quarter. He finished the first drive with his own TD catch, and Jones (16 carries, 69 yards) polished off the other with a fourth-and-goal plunge from the 1.
Lazard also drew a key defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone off a free play on the game-clinching touchdown drive, setting up Tonyan's 1-yard TD right at the two-minute warning for a 10-point lead.
"That's what good teams do," Rodgers said. "They close it out."