Green Bay Packers vs. New Orleans Saints: Three Key Matchups
After a disappointing loss at the Atlanta Falcons, the Green Bay Packers will kick off the home schedule against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
The Saints are 2-0, their wins coming by a total of four points.
After more than a decade of elite quarterback play with Drew Brees, the Saints have gone from turnover-prone Jameis Winston in 2021 to past-his-prime Andy Dalton in 2022 to Derek Carr, who was acquired this offseason.
Carr hasn't been great, but he’s been without his full supporting cast with Alvin Kamara missing the first three games due to a suspension.
This is a different Saints team than what became the norm for most of the Brees era.
This Saints team is led by their defense.
That might be underselling things. This Saints defense is in the midst of a historic stretch.
They've given up one touchdown in two games, and it came in the final moments of a game they were leading by two scores.
This will be the stiffest test the young Packers' offense has faced.
If they're going to get to 2-1, here are three of the matchups they have to win.
Jaire Alexander vs. Chris Olave
Jaire Alexander is coming off one of his worst games in recent memory.
Alexander dropped a pass that was thrown directly into his chest. Had he snared the interception, he might've scored. He also was beaten for a touchdown by second-year receiver Drake London and missed a couple tackles.
According to Pro Football Focus and its best guess at coverage responsibilities, Alexander allowed five receptions for 99 yards and a perfect passer rating of 158.3 when targeted.
Jaire Alexander vs. the Saints in 2021.
Photo by Tommy Gilligan/USA Today Sports Images
There's no rest for the weary as Chris Olave is coming to town.
The Saints gave up a bevy of picks to move up and select Olave in the 2022 draft. He's proven to be worth the investment. He went over 1,000 yards as a rookie and has caught 14 passes in the first two games of this season as he’s established a quick connection with the Saints’ new quarterback.
Carr is capable of spreading the ball around, but in a game that could be tight between these two teams, it'll be Olave that Carr has his eye on.
Alexander will need to have a much better performance in those situations than he did last Sunday.
Battered OL vs. Saints Defense
David Bakhtiari was not held out of Sunday's game because it was played on turf. According to Matt LaFleur and Bakhtiari, he's injured.
Bakhtiari is almost three years removed from a knee injury that turned his career upside down. The reality is, it's hard to gauge Bakhtiari's availability at all on a weekly basis. Whether he plays is anyone's guess at this point.
What is certain is Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins will miss Sunday's game with a knee injury sustained in Atlanta.
That means the Packers could be starting two backups against a Saints defense that has a strong defensive line led by Cameron Jordan.
LaFleur has been coy when asked about who will start at left guard. Royce Newman has logged more than 1,500 snaps in his career and played the final two-and-a-half quarters against the Falcons.
Will Packers LT David Bakhtiari play against the Saints?
Photo by Jamie Sabau/USA Today Sports Images
The guess here is Newman will start over Sean Rhyan, who has played zero snaps on offense in his young career.
Whoever starts will have a tall task in front of them. Whoever is starting at whatever position, they'll need to play much better to protect Jordan Love and open holes in the run game.
Jordan Love vs. Ballhawking Secondary
Jordan Love has gone a long way toward silencing some of his critics with a clean first two starts to this season.
He's thrown six touchdown passes and leads the NFL in passer rating. He's thrown the ball down the field and hasn't been afraid to take chances.
The biggest accomplishment for Love is that he has not turned over the football.
Some of that is luck. For example, Love threw a pass that hit Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell between the numbers on Sunday. Sometimes a cornerback's hands are forgiving. In that case, Terrell's were.
Otherwise, Love has not put the ball in harm's way, much to his coach's delight.
"I think that's the quarterback's No. 1 responsibility," LaFleur said after Green Bay's win against Chicago. "We talk about it all the time. You’ve got to take care of the ball. I thought he did that. Anytime you got a quarterback that takes care of the football, you've got a chance to win games."
Love has taken care of the ball, but he faces a much stiffer test this week than what he has through the first two weeks.
Atlanta's defense is complex, but not overly accomplished.
Chicago might be the worst team in the NFL on both sides of the ball.
The Saints are neither of those things.
Marshon Lattimore is a premier cornerback. Paulson Adebo, who picked off Aaron Rodgers in his NFL debut in 2021, makes for a good sidekick.
Then there's safety Tyrann Mathieu, who has 29 interceptions in his stellar career.
The Saints' secondary can get their hands on the football. Love has to continue his clean play for the Packers to win on Sunday.
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