New Orleans, LA – They say the third time’s the charm in whatever you put your mind to. In the case of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, it’s to beat the New Orleans Saints at the Super Dome for the first time in his career, as Green Bay puts a dagger into a faltering Saints team on Sunday Night Football, winning 37-30. 

Rodgers Revenge Tour  

            During the first two weeks of the season, Aaron Rodgers has played like a man who’s looking to avenge his family, tearing the Vikings and Lions apart in Weeks one and two, respectively, for 604 yards, six touchdowns, and no picks. Against the Saints on Monday night, the trend continued, as A-Rod completed 21/32 (66% completion) for 283 and three touchdowns. Remember, the Packers drafted a quarterback (Jordan Love) in the first round of this year’s draft. The 36-year-old Rodgers showed he’s still pissed about that selection, and he’s taking his anger out on opposing defenses.  

Rodgers played in his trademark style; launching deep passes out of the pocket and finding unheard-of players for huge gains. Missing his top target in wideout Davante Adams to a hamstring injury tonight, second-year wideout Allen Lazard (6-146-1) became ”that guy”, being on the receiving end of a 48 and a 49-yard pass that set up two go-ahead touchdowns for Green Bay.  

Fourth-year halfback Aaron Jones came into the game as the leading rusher in the league, with 234 yards and three touchdowns. He was kept in check by New Orleans’ rushing defense but was still able to put up good production on the ground, rushing for 69 yards and a score.  

            Over on defense, Green Bay was missing nose tackle Kenny Clark to a hip injury, and it showed. On the ground, the Packers gave up 122 yards to the Saints, with half-backs Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray both rushing for 58 yards (more on Kamara in a bit). Mike Pettine’s defense did come up big when it mattered, though, with linebacker Za’Darius Smith not only stripping the ball from the Saints’ swiss army-QB that is Taysom Hill, but also recovering it near midfield to set up a lead-taking field goal for Green Bay.  

Drew Brees’ arm isn’t the problem 

Since the Monday Night game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Saints quarterback Drew Brees has been criticized for his throwing arm missing that signature zip it used to ha have. Against the Packers, Brees played similarly to how he did against the Raiders; dump-off passes to Kamara and throw short curl, drag, and slant routes to all his receivers. The deepest pass he completed was an 18 yarder to wideout Tre’Quan Smith during a two-minute drill in the fourth quarter. Yet, Brees put up numbers, completing 29/36 (81% completion) for 288 yards and three touchdowns. Granted, fourth-year halfback Alvin Kamara had more than half of those yards, gaining 130 of them after the catch, but Brees still produced when he needed to. 

If anything, it was the defense that let Brees and Payton down. Coming into tonight’s game, the Saints defense was one the most penalized in the league, with over 230 yards of penalty yards against yards. Against the Packers, they were hit with eight penalties for 83 yards, with cornerback Janoris Jenkins having two pass interference calls against him in the second half. But the worst one goes to all-pro linebacker Demario Davis, who was called offsides on a crucial third and long that set up Crosby’s lead-taking 49-yard field goal. 

What comes next? 

            Green Bay is back in the prime-time lights, as they look to beat down on an Atlanta Falcons team that gave up back-to-back double-digit leads in two consecutive games (blew a 15-point lead to the Dallas Cowboys in week 2, and a 16-point lead to the Chicago Bears in week 3). 

            As for New Orleans, it’s a road trip to the Motor City to take on a Detroit Lions team that’s coming off a last-minute upset win against a red-hot Arizona Cardinals squad. 

Writer

-By: Juan Guarin-Camargo

   Las Vegas, NV – In the Super Bowl era, Home teams are 6-3 on their opening debuts in new stadiums. Make that 7-3 now, as the Las Vegas Raiders not only pulled off their first home win at Allegiant Stadium, they did so by stunning a play-off caliber New Orleans Saints team, beating them 34-24 thanks to the old-school play-calling style by head coach Jon Gruden on offense, and taking advantage of a clearly washed-up Drew Brees on defense.  

Carr, Jacobs, and Waller make up Raiders’ Triplets 

            Prior to the start of the season, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr told the media that he was tired of being disrespected. Seems like the whole Raiders offense got the message, like Carr, along with second-year halfback Josh Jacobs and underrated (and bargain-priced) tight end Darren Waller have gone on an absolute tear in 2020, with their individual performances against the Saints being the epitome of their rising production. Carr went 28/38 (52% completion) for 282 passing yards and three touchdowns. The game didn’t start off so hot for Carr, as he was sacked on back to back plays because he held on to the ball way too long (coverage sacks by David Onyemata and Malcolm Jenkins). But at the start of the second quarter, Carr was a changed quarterback; looking comfortable in the pocket and quick in his decision making.  

His favorite target of the night; tight end Darren Waller, who caught 12 balls for 103 yards and a touchdown. The Saints defense had no answer for the 6’6 tight end, as he humiliated proven veterans like safety Malcolm Jenkins, corner Janoris Jenkins, and middle linebacker Demario Davis. “He’s battled an addiction to get here. He’s a success story, and that’s something I love seeing,” Carr said about his tight end in his post-game presser. On the ground game, Josh Jacobs ran like a man running with purpose against that stellar Saints front seven, grinding out 88 rushing yards on 27 carries. Jacobs fits the running back mold Coach Gruden looks for; hard-hitting, quick on his feet, and capable making plays in the air (Jacobs: 3 catches, 17 yards). Paired with a speedy Jalen Richard (2-26-1), and Gruden has a rushing attack that could rival Cleveland’s backfield.  

As for the Raiders defense, rookie defensive back David Arnette showed why he was taken in the first round, compiling seven solo tackles on the day, while veteran linebacker Nicholas Murrow picked off Drew Brees late in the second quarter. Second-year Johnathan Abrams played well in his third career game after missing most of last year with a torn rotator cuff. Against the Saints, he had four tackles and a pass deflection. 

2020 Drew Brees = 2015 Peyton Manning 

             Drew Brees may be 41-years-old, but against the Raiders, he played…like a 41-year-old man. Don’t let the numbers fool you (26/38-312-1-1), Brees’ arm looked like a noodle, as the future-Hall-of-Famer looked like he lost that zip in his passing game. Head coach Sean Payton’s plan going in was rather conservative: give running back Alvin Kamara as many touches as possible, while limiting Brees to short-to-medium passes, nothing that requires him to throw more than 15-20 yards down the field. Kamara looked like his 2018 Offensive rookie of the year self, leading the Saints both in rushing (13-79-2) and receiving (9-95) yards for a total 174 yards from scrimmage. The rest of the receiving corps was serviceable, but the Michael Thomas-sized hole in the offense is too evident to ignore. Free-agent acquisition Emmanuel Sanders was supposed to try to fill the said hole, but he didn’t register a catch until less than two minutes left in the game. 

            On defense, that top 10-ranked defense started the game off looking like an elite unit, but crumbled and withered during the course of the game, especially when it came to penalties. Las Vegas only registered three penalties for a loss of 13 yards on the night. New Orleans had 10 penalties for a loss of 129 yards, with a good chunk of that yardage coming off defensive holding and pass interference calls. Safety Malcolm Jenkins looked like a shell of his former self, while star-defensive tackle Cameron Jordan could only register five tackles the whole night, none for a loss. 

What’s next? 

            Las Vegas took down a playoff-caliber team in the Saints, but their true test will come next Sunday, as the Black and Silver travel to Foxboro to take on a Patriots team looking to avenge their Sunday Night Football loss to Seattle the other night. 

            As for New Orleans, they host a Packers team that tore two NFC North opponents apart in the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, respectively. Aaron Rodgers is playing with the same mindset as Derek Carr: he’s tired of the disrespect, and the Saints are his next target of anger. 

Writer

-By: Juan Guarin-Camargo

MNF Preview: Saints vs. Raiders

After a long and rich history in Oakland, the Las Vegas Raiders will host their first game in Allegiant Stadium, taking on the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. While there will be no fans to support in the stands, many people will be tuning in to the historic event to watch the first game in Las Vegas. Let us analyze the matchup and predict who comes out on top.

New Orleans Saints

After a gutsy 34-23 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Saints will be without their star receiver Michael Thomas for a couple of weeks with a high ankle sprain. Despite this, New Orleans is loaded on both sides of the ball and are favored to win this game, even on the road. Drew Brees will look to continue his success after finding the endzone twice. With Thomas out for the game, Emmanuel Sanders should see a lot more targets. Look for the Saints to use the running game at a premium, featuring Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray. Defensively, New Orleans needs to key on Josh Jacobs, who is the focal point of the Raiders offense, and make Derek Carr beat them with his arm.

Las Vegas Raiders

After a win in an offensive battle with the Carolina Panthers, Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders will have a tall task in Week 2 against the powerhouse New Orleans Saints. In Week 1, the offense shined, putting up 34 points. Josh Jacobs led the way with 3 touchdowns on the ground. Vegas held off a comeback by Carolina, ultimately coming out with the win. For the Raiders to win this Monday night battle, the Raiders are going to have to control the clock and keep the Saints offense off the field. Josh Jacobs should expect a heavy workload against the stout Saints defense. The Raiders are going to have to limit their mistakes, because they will all prove costly against a team as good as the Saints

My Prediction

Even with the new stadium opening and all the hype surrounding the game, I believe the Saints will still come out on top. New Orleans is deep on both sides of the ball and the Raiders are going to have an extremely tough time slowing down the New Orleans offense. New Orleans will win by a score of 28-10 and move to 2-0.

Stats from profootballreference.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas