GREEN BAY – The Packers clinched their NFC Wild Card playoff spot Monday night with a 34-0 shutout over the Saints at Lambeau Field.
With the win, the Packers improved to 11-4 and will look to improve their playoff seeding in a big NFC North matchup at Minnesota (13-2) next week.
Green Bay took control of this one from the start, scoring touchdowns on its first three possessions for the first time in four years. New Orleans (5-10), playing with a backup QB in rookie Spencer Rattler and missing several weapons on offense to injury, never made the game competitive.
It was the second shutout of the Matt LaFleur era, joining the 17-0 blanking of Seattle in 2021. Key defensive plays for the Packers that helped keep the Saints off the board included a strip-sack by CB Keisean Nixon on a blitz, a sack late in the first half by DL Devonte Wyatt, and an interception by S Zayne Anderson, who was starting in place of the injured Evan Williams. All those plays occurred with New Orleans in scoring territory.
Offensively, the Packers rushed for 188 yards as a team. RB Josh Jacobs posted 107 yards from scrimmage (69 rushing, 38 receiving) with a TD, his 14th on the season to set a record for most TDs by any Green Bay player in his first year with the team. RB Emanuel Wilson added 11 carries for 52 yards and a TD, while RB Chris Brooks had six carries for 23 yards and his first NFL touchdown.
QB Jordan Love was 16-of-28 for 182 yards with one TD, to WR Dontayvion Wicks. Love's passer rating of 88.7 broke his streak of five straight games with a triple-digit rating. WR Jayden Reed had three catches for 76 yards, and TE Tucker Kraft added three receptions for 63 yards. WR Christian Watson left the game with a knee injury and did not return. Backup QB Malik Willis directed the game's final touchdown drive.
For the Saints, Rattler was 15-of-30 for 153 yards with one interception for a 51.1 rating. Rattler also led New Orleans in rushing with 28 yards.
Here's a recap of all the action:
Packers lead Saints 7-0 after first quarter
New Orleans won the opening coin toss and elected to defer. The Packers started at their 37 after a 38-yard Keisean Nixon kickoff return.
Quarterback Jordan Love got Cameron Jordan to jump on third-and-6 to set up a 3-yard Josh Jacobs run for the first down. After a 7-yard carry, Jacobs caught an 11-yard screen pass to the Saints' 33.
A 12-yard pass to Tucker Kraft off play-action proceeded a 20-yard Jacobs run to the New Orleans 1 in which Green Bay's running back stiff-armed Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu for a few extra yards.
On third-and-goal, Dontayvion Wicks came free in the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown pass to put the Packers ahead 7-0 with 8 minutes, 41 seconds left in the first quarter.
New Orleans picked up two quick first downs to move across midfield before Devonte Wyatt tackled Kendre Miller for no gain on first down. The Saints teased going for it on fourth-and-7 after a Spencer Rattler incompletion but punted after a false start penalty.
Green Bay took over at its own 4. New Orleans once again jumped on third-and-6, which led to tight end Tucker Kraft motioning under center and sneaking the ball two yards for the first down.
Out of an empty formation, Jacobs ran a drag route for 13 yards. The Packers converted a third-and-7 with a 15-yard pass to Romeo Doubs to the New Orleans 46.
Love avoided a sack with an 8-yard check down to Jacobs to cross midfield before Emanuel Wilson was stopped on third-and-2.
Packers lead Saints 21-0 at halftime
The second quarter began with Love successfully getting two yards on a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1. The Packers went for it again on fourth-and-2 from the New Orleans 35, with Kraft gaining 21 yards on a catch and run.
Jacobs broke a tackle on a 12-yard pickup before punching in 2-yard TD to push Green Bay's lead to 14-0 with 11:43 left in the first half. The 17-play, 96-yard scoring drive lasted 8 minutes, 55 seconds, all season-longs.
It's also Jacobs' sixth straight game with at least one rushing touchdown, the second-longest streak in team history. Paul Hornung had seven in 1960.
Edgerrin Cooper tackled Miller for a 3-yard loss on first down. Tackle Tailese Fuaga had a false start on the next play. The Saints went three-and-out after an underneath pass to Jordan Mims on second-and-16.
The Packers opened their third offensive series with a 9-yard end-around right to Christian Watson for nine yards. Kraft came free on a second-and-1 play-action for 30 yards.
Green Bay then ran an end-around left for Watson, who gained 14 yards to the New Orleans 6. After a push pass to Jayden Reed gained five yards, Chris Brooks scored his first NFL touchdown on a 1-yard run up the middle to extend Green Bay's lead to 21-0 with 6:28 left in the first half.
Rattler found Foster Moreau in the middle of the field for a 21-yard gain after starting at the New Orleans 39. Miller gained 10 yards on a third-and-10 draw but Keisean Nixon came on a slot corner blitz on the next play, forcing a Rattler fumble that Rashan Gary recovered at the Packers' 34-yard line.
Green Bay threw three straight times en route to going three-and-out for the first time, punting from its 40 after the two-minute warning.
The Packers' defense nearly got a three-and-out, but Brenton Cox Jr. was flagged for roughing Rattler. Rattler then found a wide-open Kevin Austin Jr. on third-and-7 to push the ball to the Green Bay 34.
Devonte Wyatt registered his fifth sack of the year, resulting in a 12-yard loss and forcing the Saints to use their final timeout with nine seconds left in the first half. Rattler's Hail Mary fell incomplete.
Packers lead Saints 24-0 after three
The Saints gained the initial first down with an 8-yard pass to Jordan Mims but stalled after Kenny Clark and Eric Wilson combined to tackle Miller for no gain on first down. Rattler's third-and-2 pass sailed wide, and New Orleans punted.
After starting at their own 16, the Packers gained five yards off a Jacobs run before Bo Melton picked up 14 on an end-around. Melton was the eighth different ball carrier for Green Bay.
Jacobs and Brooks combined for 24 yards on the next four carries. After Wilson powered forward for four yards on a check down, Brandon McManus made a season-long 55-yard field goal to push the Packers' lead to 24-0 with 7:03 left in the third quarter.
It was announced after the drive Watson has a knee injury and is questionable to return.
Rattler scrambled for a first down on third-and-4, converted a second-and-12 with a 17-yard pass to Juwan Johnson and then hit Dante Pettis for 22 on third-and-17.
On the next play, Rattler tried a deep pass to Moreau but Zayne Anderson jumped in front of it and returned his first NFL interception to the Green Bay 20 with a little more than two minutes left in the third quarter.
The quarter ended after three Emanuel Wilson runs gained 28 yards.
Packers shut out Saints 34-0, clinch playoff spot
The Packers punted with a little more than 13 minutes left, with New Orleans taking over at its 34. Rattler hit Pettis for 11 yards on first down but forced to punt after Colby Wooden batted down Rattler's next pass at the line of scrimmage.
The Saints punted after pressure forced Rattler's third-and-8 pass to fall incomplete.
On third-and-12, Love hit Reed on a deep corner for 37 yards to the Saints' 49. Wicks then caught a 12-yard out to the New Orleans 34.
Two Brooks runs netted six yards, setting up McManus' 46-yard field goal to push the Packers' lead to 27-0 with 7:13 left to play.
New Orleans turned the ball over on downs at its own 33 after Rattler's deep throw on third-and-7 fell incomplete. Malik Willis relieved Love at quarterback, with Andre Dillard, Kadeem Telfort and Travis Glover entering on the offensive line.
Emanuel Wilson gained eight yards to the New Orleans 40 on first down. Willis' third-and-2 pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage by Khalen Saunders.
Willis connected on a 34-yard deep pass to Reed to the Saints' 6. After picking up five yards on two carries, Wilson plowed in for a 1-yard TD to make it 34-0 Packers with 2:41 remaining. Nine different ball carriers combined for 190 yards and three TDs on 37 carries for Green Bay.
