Green Bay Packers: 3 X-Factors Against New Orleans

Darnell Savage

Without Michael Thomas, in the New Orleans’ passing game, we can expect to see quite a bit of Jared Cook and Alvin Kamara on Sunday, both of which create matchup problems. While Chrisitan Kirksey is an upgrade over Blake Martinez when it comes to his ability to work in space, he has still struggled in coverage this season and will have a difficult time on either of these players.

So my hope is that Mike Pettine plays Darnell Savage closer to the line of scrimmage more often this week in a rover role, where his instincts and natural ability can take over, helping to cover both Cook and Kamara.

Although it may not come as much of a shock, the Packers have struggled against tight ends this season. Through two games, tight ends have been very efficient, recording seven receptions on seven targets for over 100 yards. Against Cook, who has 93 yards on seven receptions this season, Savage’s athleticism and ability to diagnose plays would hopefully limit some of his production while taking away one of Brees’ reliable pass-catching targets.

And speaking of limiting production, that’s all you can hope for against Kamara. Odds are he is going to get his yards one way or another, but this Packer defense needs to do what they can to contain him. That means having Savage play closer to the line of scrimmage where he can fly around as he always does, once again, hopefully limiting what Kamara is able to do after the catch.

With all of that said, one area Savage must be buttoned-up on is his tackling. Missed tackles were an issue for him as a rookie and against Kamara, he will make you pay.

This season, 47 of Brees’ 63 pass attempts have traveled 10 yards or less; it’s going to be vital that this Packer defense takes away the easy throws and forces Brees to go downfield. And bringing Savage into the box to help with Cook and Kamara would go a long way towards achieving that.