The Green Bay Packers will upset the New Orleans Saints on the road in Week 3 because of these three reasons.
The Green Bay Packers open as three-point underdogs to the New Orleans Saints in their premiere Sunday Night matchup. That’s a bit surprising considering how good Green Bay has looked this season and the Saints coming off a disappointing loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football. However, home-field advantage must still carry some weight despite fans not being able to attend the game.
The Packers have come out throwing flames in their first two games, as they’ve faced very little resistance while on offense. After dropping 43 points on the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1, they scored 42 in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions. What will they do next? Let’s check out three reasons why Green Bay will upset New Orleans on Sunday.
(Likely) no Michael Thomas
The Saints will likely be without their star wide receiver Michael Thomas. Thomas is one of, if not the, best receivers in the game, but is dealing with a tough ankle injury. It sounds as if he’s made some progress, but he’ll be hard-pressed to suit up against the Packers. Without him, New Orleans still has plenty of other weapons in Alvin Kamara, Jared Cook, Emmanuel Sanders and Taysom Hill. However, Green Bay’s defense will be able to slide Jaire Alexander off Thomas and allow him to shut down Sanders and others in the Saints’ passing game.
Redzone offense
The Saints defense has struggled in the red zone this season, allowing their opponents to score a touchdown on six of their seven drives inside the 20-yard-line, ranking 31st in the NFL. Green Bay struggled a bit in that category against the Vikings, but seemingly figured it out against the Lions. In total, they’ve scored a touchdown on six of their 11 red zone attempts, good for 24th in the NFL, but they’ll have another opportunity to improve on that mark against New Orleans.
Packers’ passing offense
It’s unclear if Davante Adams will play on Sunday after missing practice on Wednesday, however, it appears Green Bay is approaching the situation with an abundance of caution. If he suits up on Sunday, the Packers’ offense should be in line for another huge day. Head coach Matt LaFleur has done a tremendous job with his playcalling and game planning this season and it will be exciting to see what he has in store for Week 3. Despite not adding another wide receiver of significance in the offseason, Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling have been solid so far this year. Look for another big game through the air for Aaron Rodgers and company.