Packers boast a punishing trio of running backs

Green Bay’s embarrassment of riches in the backfield was on full display Monday night, as Josh Jacobs, Emanuel Wilson took turns pummeling New Orleans.

Such was the comfortable lead the Packers amassed by half time, Jacobs was essentially stood down with well over a quarter to play. Green Bay’s lead horse only had to carry the ball 13 times, his fewest since week nine, but still managed 69 yards and a touchdown.

His 5.3 yards per carry versus New Orleans is also his highest mark since week nine, perhaps showing the benefits of giving him a breather every now and again, especially when Matt LaFleur has two other capable backs at his disposal.

Jacobs’ highlight of the night was a brutal stiff arm of Saints defender Tyrann Mathieu, sending the defensive back flying to the turf, and his understudies continued to run with aggression when given their opportunity.

Wilson carried the ball 11 times on the night for 52 yards, while Brooks tallied six carries for 23 yards. Both backs found the end zone, with Brooks’ score representing his first career touchdown.

The former BYU back, whom the Packers signed as a free agent after he was released by Miami with an injury, has seen his role grow over time as a reward for his proficiency in pass protection, and his touchdown was well deserved for all his hard work.

He also showed off his powerful running ability, with Brooks’ most impressive play coming when he shoved veteran linebacker Demario Davis off him, escaping what looked to be a secure tackle.

Third-round rookie MarShawn Lloyd has been limited to just six rush attempts on the season due to various injuries, and it has not mattered a bit for the Packers. They are extremely well stocked at running back, and this was shown to a national audience on Monday night.

Green Bay's defense dominates overmatched Saints offense

Regardless of the fact Green Bay was facing a massively depleted New Orleans offense, Jeff Hafley’s defense delivered a signature performance, forcing the first shutout by any NFL team this season.

The Saints never entered the red zone at any point in the game, and turned the ball over twice via a Keisean Nixon forced fumble and an interception by Zayne Anderson, who can now be officially confirmed as a real person.

New Orleans has a mountain of injuries, but it is important to remember Green Bay were also down four offensive starters. It did little to help Spencer Rattler and the Saints offense though, who failed to move the ball for most of the night.

Nixon was terrific, but Edgerrin Cooper was arguably the star of the show once again, racking up six solo tackles, at least double the number of anyone else on Green Bay’s defense. His presence is felt whenever he takes the field.

The Packers are now up to fourth in the NFL for expected points added on defense, a testament to the work Brian Gutekunst has done remodeling the defense, and Hafley for allowing them to be consistently competitive, regardless of who is or is not available.

His defense seems to be improving by the week, and that bodes well for the looming postseason.

Room for improvement for Jordan Love

Love did not have to do much heavy lifting in this game, which was essentially over before the end of the second quarter.

Green Bay’s quarterback played an extremely clean first half, taking what the Saints defense gave him, but there were also signs of room for growth for the second-year starter.

On the Packers’ third drive of the game, he successfully converted a fourth down with a throw to Tucker Kraft in the flat; a positive play overall, but Love passed up a deeper pass to Christian Watson, who was wide open for what would have been a walk-in touchdown.

It mattered not, as Green Bay ended up scoring on the drive, and taking the sure first down pass on fourth down was a smart call, but it is an example of the balance Love is still trying to strike of when to be conservative and when to push the envelope.

From the Packers’ final drive of the first half until Love was eventually rested for backup Malik Willis, he seemed to be looking for the ultimate kill shot every time he dropped back to pass, floating a couple of deep balls out of the reach of his receivers.

He also saw multiple passes deflected, and was fortunate not to throw an interception, which would have ended his pick-less streak before it could get to five games. Fortunately, Alontae Taylor stripped the ball out of his own teammates hands, letting it fall harmlessly to the ground.

Love did what the Packers needed him to do on Monday night, but a final stat line which included his worst completion percentage since week five, only 182 pass yards and a passer rating of 88.7, his lowest since week nine, shows there is still room for him to improve.

LaFleur issues positive injury updates

The Packers were always likely to win comfortably on Monday night, and getting out of the game healthy was the next highest priority. It appears they managed to have achieved this, dodging a bullet with the knee injury suffered by Christian Watson.

LaFleur said Monday that Watson just bruised his knee, and has a chance to play against Minnesota this week. Even if he cannot go, it is good news that Watson will not be out long term as the playoffs get closer.

Green Bay’s head coach also revealed Evan Williams might be out for a bit with the quad issue that kept him out on Monday, but expressed optimism he will return for the playoffs.

Having Watson and Williams for the showdown with the Vikings – which could have a big say in whether the Packers end up as the five, six or seven seed – would be nice, but getting them back for the postseason is the primary concern, given the Packers have now punched their ticket and cannot win the NFC North.

Brandon McManus continues to excel

It has somewhat gone under the radar that McManus essentially solved Green Bay’s kicker problem the second he stepped foot in the building.

Obviously, his presence on the team could be seen as controversial, but on the field, he has been everything the Packers could have asked for. He has missed just one of 17 field goal attempts since arriving in Green Bay, and has converted all his extra points.

Against the Saints on a frigid night at Lambeau Field, he knocked through two kicks, one from 46 and another from 55, with a minimum of fuss.

Packers fans should not take for granted the fact that they no longer have to hold their breath every time the kicker lines up to hit one.