The Green Bay Packers will welcome the 5-9 New Orleans Saints to Lambeau Field for an NFC matchup on “Monday Night Football” in Week 16. The Packers need a win to clinch a playoff spot, while the Saints will almost certainly be eliminated from the postseason at some point in Week 16.
Can the Packers improve to 11-4 with a victory over a slumping Saints team that will likely be without Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara?
Here are five stats to know before Monday’s game at Lambeau Field:
Plus-451: The Saints defense has given up the most yards after the catch, exceeding expectations in the NFL this season, according to Next Gen Stats. Opponents, on the other hand, are averaging 6.3 yards after the catch against the Saints in 2024. That’s a fancy way of saying the Saints are having a strenuous time getting receivers down after the catch this season. It turns out that the Packers have several animated playmakers with the ball in their hands. Jayden Reed, Tucker Kraft and Josh Jacobs could do some sedate damage on Monday night, especially if the Packers prioritize brief and quick passes. Playing in the snow and cool won’t make the Saints’ fight any easier.
14: Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler has only had 140 pass rushes this season, but has been sacked 14 times, accounting for 10 percent of the sacks. Avoiding sacks is a skill, and many teenage quarterbacks don’t have their internal clock set at the right time or don’t have enough pocket awareness early in the game. It doesn’t facilitate that Saints attackmen Trevor Penning and Taliese Fuaga have had over 30 pressures this season. Much like the Sam Howell fight that ended in Seattle last week, the Packers’ pass rush could celebrate if they take away Rattler’s first read and continually wrap up the pocket.
18 and 68: Saints linebacker Alontae Taylor missed 18 tackles and made 68 shots, which was the most among any linebacker in Week 16, according to Pro Football Focus. He also took six penalties and had no interceptions. In last year’s matchup, Taylor broke up three passes but also returned four catches for 81 yards – mostly to Jayden Reed. Don’t be surprised if the Packers become a constant target again on Monday night.
5 straight: Packers quarterback Jordan Love has five straight games with a passer rating of 100.0 or higher, but he’ll soon have to deal with a stingy pass defense. The Saints are giving up an overall passer rating of just 83.0 (sixth-best) this season and have scored just 14 passing touchdowns (third-most). Add in a pass rush of 37 sacks and two players with at least 50 pressures (Chase Young, Carl Granderson), and the Packers passing game will be tested on Monday night.
21: Since Darren Rizzi took over for Dennis Allen, over five games, the Saints’ most points are just 21. Meanwhile, the Packers have scored 30 or more points in four straight games. The Saints haven’t faced a string of offensive powerhouses over the last five years, but holding the Rams to 21 points and the Commanders to 20 points is a job well done. The Saints are stingy on third down (37.3 percent conversions) and in the red zone (51.2 percent of tries).
