New Orleans Saints: Studs and duds from Week 3 vs. Packers

The New Orleans Saints dropped their second straight game, falling to the Packers in primetime.

It’s been an odd start to the 2020 NFL season for a team that has won the last three NFC South titles. The New Orleans Saints squared off with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 and were sporadic at best in what proved to be a 34-23 victory. This past Monday night, Sean Payton’s defense had few answers for the Las Vegas Raiders’ passing attack and the team fell in Sin City, 34-24.

The Saints’ defense has been an issue starting late last season, especially when it came to the pass. And those issues reared their ugly heads early this season against Tom Brady and Derek Carr, respectively.

Now, keep in mind that New Orleans picked off the former Patriots’ legend twice and returned one of his picks for a touchdown. But Dennis Allen’s unit allowed a combined five touchdown passes in their split with the Bucs and Raiders.

And it wound up being more of the same as the Saints fell short and seemed to fade in the fourth quarter in a 37-30 setback (via Luke Johnson of NOLA.com) to the Green Bay Packers. Payton’s club suddenly owns a 1-2 record after three weeks of play.

So over the past two weeks, the Saints have allowed a combined 71 points in losses to the Raiders and Packers. While it was an entertaining contest, the bottom line is that the reigning NFC South champions are suddenly on the ropes. So who had a good outing against Green Bay and who or what units wound up having a long evening?