New Orleans Saints vs Green Bay Packers Match Player Stats On Oct 22, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Oct 22, 2017

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Drew Brees continued his mastery of the Green Bay Packers in leading the New Orleans Saints to a 26-17 victory on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Brees completed a barrage of short passes that added up to 331 yards on 27-of-38 accuracy. In seven career games against the Packers, he has topped 300 passing yards all seven times. The Saints (4-2) stayed afloat despite Brees' two early interceptions to earn their fourth consecutive victory.

Making his first start for injured Aaron Rodgers, Packers quarterback Brett Hundley was just 12 of 25 for 87 yards. Hundley didn't make any big mistakes -- his lone interception came with the Packers down nine in the final minutes -- but he also didn't make any big plays in the passing game.

The game turned midway through the fourth quarter. The Saints had just taken a 19-17 lead and then forced a three-and-out punt by bringing pressure on Hundley on third-and-9.

New Orleans took over at its 45 and wasted no time putting the game away. Running back Mark Ingram II blew through a huge hole on the right side for a gain of 23 on second down, with an additional 14 yards tacked on because of safety Kentrell Brice's horse-collar tackle. Brees' third-and-goal sneak from the 1 for a touchdown put the game away at 26-17 with 4:55 remaining.

On the next possession, Hundley was intercepted by safety Kenny Vaccaro.

New Orleans scored on its opening two possessions of the second half to turn a 14-7 deficit into a 16-14 lead. Brees' pump fake freed up receiver Brandon Coleman for an easy 22-yard touchdown. Defensive tackle Kenny Clark blocked the extra point to keep the Packers in front by one.

The Saints took the lead on their next possession. A catch-and-run gain of 47 yards by receiver Ted Ginn Jr. on the first snap was the key play in setting up Wil Lutz's 28-yard field goal with 4:08 to play in the third quarter.

Green Bay recaptured the lead on the second play of the fourth quarter on Mason Crosby's 46-yard field goal. Rookie running back Aaron Jones' 21-yard run, in which he was stopped at the line of scrimmage but escaped to his right, was the key play.

New Orleans retaliated on its next possession on Lutz's 44-yard field goal, which made it 19-17 with 10:21 remaining. A 20-yard completion to receiver Michael Thomas and a 19-yard run by rookie Alvin Kamara put the Saints in scoring position.

Jones finished with 131 rushing yards and a touchdown for Green Bay (4-3), which lost for the second consecutive week.

The Packers led 14-7 at halftime. Jones put the Packers on the board with a 46-yard touchdown run on the opening possession. He accounted for 70 of the 75 yards on the drive.

The Saints' first two possessions ended on interceptions that spoiled scoring opportunities. The first came from the Packers' 20, with Brees' pass into the end zone intended for receiver Brandon Coleman grabbed by cornerback Damarious Randall.

The second came from the Packers' 36. Brees went deep up the right sideline to Thomas, but cornerback Davon House was in perfect position for the theft.

New Orleans scored early in the second quarter on a 12-yard touchdown run by Ingram. The Packers had only 10 defenders on the third-and-1 play.

Green Bay answered on the ensuing possession. On third-and-4 from the Saints' 14, Hundley escaped to the left and had a clear path to the end zone. He dodged a hit by cornerback Ken Crawley at the 1 and got drilled by safety Kenny Vaccaro at the goal line.

NOTES: The Packers were without two starters, LG Lane Taylor (ankle) and S Morgan Burnett (hamstring). Saints RG Larry Warford missed the second half with an abdominal injury. ... Packers CB Damarious Randall has an interception in three consecutive games. ... Saints RB Mark Ingram II found a few Saints fans in the end zone for a Lambeau Leap. ... Saints WR Ted Ginn Jr., with seven catches for 141 yards, had only his second game of more than 120 receiving yards. His first was vs. Buffalo while a member of the Dolphins in 2008.