Can Green Bay stay patient on offense?

The Packers are 14-point favorites heading into Monday night’s game, so most people will be expecting Green Bay to rip New Orleans to shreds, but it may not be quite that easy.

Since the installation of Darren Rizzi as interim head coach, the Saints defense, which was usually a solid unit under now-fired former head coach Dennis Allen before struggling this season, has been much more competitive.

They have not allowed more than 21 points in any of the last five games, and are capable of frustrating their opponent’s passing attack.

New Orleans is only allowing one passing touchdown per game on average, and ranks 12th in the league in expected points added by their pass defense. They can be a tough nut to crack in the red zone, too, tied for ninth in touchdown rate allowed inside their own 20.

The stats suggest a patient, ball-control approach will be the recipe for success on Monday night.

Green Bay’s opponents rank 30th in expected points added by rush defense, which is largely due to their soft defensive center, mostly manned by Khalen Saunders and Brian Bresee, who rank 88th and 109th out of 115 qualified interior defenders at PFF.

The Saints have allowed the most yards in the league after the catch and rank 25th in missed tackles. Expect a large helping of Josh Jacobs to be on the menu, who should have some joy running up the gut and breaking tackles, especially on a cold night at Lambeau Field.

New Orleans will likely try to make the Packers march down the field on long drives. Jordan Love will need to be happy to take the checkdown when available, letting the likes of Jacobs, Tucker Kraft and Jayden Reed, who excel at making defenders miss, do the heavy lifting.

If the Packers take what the defense gives them, and crucially, take care of the football, there should be no unexpected drama on Monday night.

Spencer Rattler

Derek Carr will miss this week’s game with a fractured hand, and after Jake Haener produced a putrid performance last week, which included a passer rating of 16.1, he was replaced in the lineup by rookie Rattler, who will take the reins again this week.

Rattler fared better than Haener, but his stats on the season – 57.5% passing with two touchdowns, two interceptions and a 73.1 passer rating – are not much to brag about either.

He does have a live arm and is unafraid to take shots downfield if given the chance, and if he connects on a couple, it could keep the Saints hanging around. Whether or not Rattler is capable of playing a competent game will largely decide whether the Saints have any chance in this one.

Zach Tom vs Carl Granderson

This game will feature a clash of two premier players at their respective positions as Granderson goes up against Tom on the right side of Green Bay’s offensive line.

The Saints defensive end has 5.5 sacks on the season and ranks as PFFs 16th best edge rusher out of 117 qualified players, while Tom has only allowed two sacks in 2024 and ranks 5th out of 80 offensive tackles at PFF.

Tom has become a pillar of stability on Green Bay’s offense, and many Packers fans probably take for granted the high level of pass protection Jordan Love receives, but Tom will need to bring his A-game to keep his quarterback comfortable in the pocket this week.

Will Jaire Alexander and Luke Musgrave return?

Alexander has threatened to return from the knee issue which has kept him out of the lineup on several occasions, but has been ultimately held back to avoid the risk of him starting the game and being unable to continue, as happened in Chicago back in week 10.

This week there is extra optimism over Green Bay’s top cornerback though, as he was a full participant in each day of practice for the first time since suffering the injury.

The Packers are not facing a murderer's row of receivers this week, and this is not a must-win game, so the team is likely to be cautious with Alexander, with getting him fully healthy for the playoffs the priority. There, if he does play this week, it is safe to assume he is fully ready.

Meanwhile Musgrave, something of a forgotten man given the success of his fellow tight end Tucker Kraft, also has a shot to play on Monday night, and like Alexander, is questionable.

At this point it is clear Kraft is TE1, but Musgrave’s unique athleticism at the position adds a different dynamic to Green Bay’s offense, and working him back into the rotation in the final weeks of the regular season should help his prospects of having an impact in the playoffs.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling returns to Green Bay

MVS is back in town, facing the Packers for the first time since leaving in free agency after the 2021 season.

He did not light the world on fire in either Kansas City or Buffalo, but was unfairly maligned at times, with untimely drops – something he was prone to with the Packers – undermining his overall performances.

After being cut by the Bills after week six, he latched on with the Saints and has shown he still has something to offer as a field stretcher.

MVS has 373 yards and four touchdowns across his last six games, and as the Packers well know, is a threat to get behind the defense and create big plays. New Orleans is severely depleted in terms of offensive weapons, so Valdes-Scantling may see his fair share of targets.