NEW ORLEANS (2-0) at GREEN BAY (1-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, FOX
OPENING LINE: Packers by 2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Saints 2-0, Packers 1-1
SERIES RECORD: Packers lead 17-10
LAST MEETING: Saints won 38-3 on Sept. 12, 2021, at Jacksonville, Florida.
LAST WEEK: Saints won 20-17 at Carolina on Monday; Packers lost 25-24 at Atlanta on Sunday.
PACKERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (26), RUSH (25), PASS (23), SCORING (2)
SAINTS OFFENSE: OVERALL (10), RUSH (18), PASS (8), SCORING (25)
PACKERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (27), RUSH (30), PASS (17), SCORING (14)
SAINTS DEFENSE: OVERALL (4), RUSH (14), PASS (7), SCORING (T5)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Saints plus-1, Packers plus-3
SAINTS PLAYER TO WATCH: Chris Olave, a 2022 first-round draft choice out of Ohio State, has emerged as New Orleans’ top receiver and has been its best overall offensive playmaker during star running back Alvin Kamara’s three-game suspension. He has 14 catches for 198 yards through two games, with a 40-plus-yard reception in each game. Olave could end up seeing a lot of Green Bay’s Jaire Alexander, a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback who will be seeking to bounce back from a subpar performance in Atlanta.
PACKERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Jordan Love leads the NFL in passer rating early in his first full season as a starter, but he’s only completing 55.8% of his passes. His inexperience showed in Green Bay’s previous game, as he went 0 for 6 in the fourth quarter as the Packers failed to get a first down and squandered a 24-12 lead. Now he gets ready for his first regular-season home start.
KEY MATCHUP: Packers offensive line vs. Saints defensive line: An injury to left guard Elgton Jenkins and the uncertainty of left tackle David Bakhtiari’s health status create plenty of questions for the Packers as they face off with a potent Saints front. New Orleans’ Carl Granderson has 2½ sacks through the first two games of the season, and Cameron Jordan is an eight-time Pro Bowl selection.
KEY INJURIES: Saints RB Jamaal Williams (hamstring) isn’t expected to play Sunday. … Saints TE Foster Moreau is dealing with an ankle injury. … Saints rookie RB Kendre Miller is expected to make his debut Sunday after missing two games with a hamstring injury. … Jenkins is out for the Packers with a sprained medial collateral ligament. … Bakhtiari missed the Falcons game with lingering knee issues that have limited him the past few years. … Packers WR Christian Watson (hamstring) has missed Green Bay’s first two games. … Packers RB Aaron Jones (hamstring) missed the Falcons game.
SERIES NOTES: Although the Packers lead the series 17-10, the Saints have won three of the past four meetings. Their most recent matchup — a Saints 38-3 victory in the opening week of the 2021 season — was moved from New Orleans to Jacksonville because of the impact of Hurricane Ida. Love made his NFL debut that day, as he came in for Aaron Rodgers after the Saints had put the game out of reach. The Packers’ previous win over the Saints was a 37-30 victory at New Orleans on Sept. 27, 2020. The previous time the Saints played at Lambeau Field, they won 26-17 on Oct. 22, 2017. The Saints and Packers held joint practices in Green Bay last year. This marks the fourth time the Packers have opened their home schedule against the Saints. They won their three previous home openers in this series.
STATS AND STUFF: The Saints have allowed 20 points or fewer in each of their past 10 games, the longest active streak of any NFL team. … The Saints are trying to start 3-0 for the first time since 2013, when they began 5-0. … The Saints’ 30-12 road record since 2018 leads the NFC and ranks behind only the Kansas City Chiefs’ 32-9 road mark among NFL teams. … The Saints haven’t scored a first-half TD this season and have just three total TDs in two games. … Saints S Marcus Maye will be serving the first of a three-game suspension in Week 3. … Saints RB Alvin Kamara will be serving the last of a three-game suspension. … Olave is one of three NFL players (along with Justin Jefferson and Puka Nacua) with at least 85 yards receiving in each of the first two weeks. … Saints CB Paulson Adebo had his first-career fumble recovery in Week 2. … Both teams have rookie kickers. New Orleans’ Blake Grupe has made all of his first five field-goal attempts and all three of his extra points. Green Bay’s Anders Carlson is 2 of 2 on field-goal attempts — including a 52-yarder — and 8 of 8 on extra points. … The Packers’ 27-6 regular-season home record since 2018 leads all NFL teams. … The Packers have won their past 10 home openers, the NFL’s longest active streak. … The Packers haven’t committed a turnover through their first two games. … WR Jayden Reed is the second Packer since the AFL-NFL merger to have multiple touchdown catches in one of his first two games as a pro. The other was James Lofton in 1978. … Packers LB Quay Walker scored on a 37-yard interception return in Green Bay’s season-opening victory at Chicago and followed that up by making a career-high 17 tackles in the loss to the Falcons.
FANTASY TIP: The flurry of running back injuries across the league could make it worth picking up Saints RB Tony Jones Jr. at least as a one-week stopgap. Jones had two touchdown runs after Williams got hurt in the Panthers game. He could have a big game against Green Bay’s vulnerable run defense, which allowed 211 yards rushing against the Falcons. One note of caution is that Miller’s return from a hamstring injury could enable the rookie to cut into Jones’ potential workload.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl