The Green Bay Packers used a furious fourth-quarter rally — featuring 18 consecutive points — to secure an 18-17 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Lambeau Field. The win avoided a two-game losing streak and improved the Packers’ record to 2-1 after three games.
It’s a short week with the Detroit Lions coming to Green Bay on Thursday night. Before advancing to Week 4, it’s time to put a ribbon on last week’s dramatic win.
Buy Packers TicketsHere are the stars, studs and duds from the Packers’ 18-17 victory:
Stars
WR Romeo Doubs: His hands can be special. On at least three different occasions against the Saints, Doubs plucked the ball out of the air for big plays. He adjusted to catch a low throw from Jordan Love over the middle for a first down. He made a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch while somehow keeping two feet in bounds down the sideline for 30 yards. And he scored the go-ahead touchdown on a contested back-shoulder catch in the end zone.
OLB Rashan Gary: He continues to be incredibly efficient and disruptive despite playing on a pitch count. On just 20 pass-rushing snaps, Gary produced five pressures, including three sacks. Two of his sacks ended drives on third down; a third eventually resulted in a punt. Later, he hurried Jameis Winston into a throwaway. Former Badger Ryan Ramczyk is a good right tackle, but Gary made his life hell.
Studs
S Rudy Ford: Both of his pass breakups could have been interceptions, including a late shot at a pick-six, but both would have required superstar-level plays. Ford made seven tackles, didn’t miss a tackle and was stingy in coverage, both near the line of scrimmage and playing deep.
RT Zach Tom: Down after down, he just gets the job done. He gave up one hurry over 55 pass-blocking snaps and had a false start when he thought the edge rusher entered the neutral zone. Tom was a big reason why Cam Jordan was so quiet on Sunday.
LT Rasheed Walker: Like Tom, Walker gave up one hurry and committed a penalty, but his performance as a pass-blocker was commendable once again. Carl Granderson had almost no impact on the contest as a pass-rusher despite playing 40 pass-rushing snaps, mostly against Walker.
CB Keisean Nixon: He played 45 solid snaps at slot cornerback, turned his first touch on offense into a first down and was on the field for five different special teams groups.
S Darnell Savage: He assisted on two tackles against the run at or near the line of scrimmage, made a key tackle covering a kickoff in the second half and delivered the third-down stop on Michael Thomas before the missed field goal.
QB Jordan Love: How to Turn a Dud Performance into A Stud Performance, by Jordan Love in the fourth quarter. He made big play after big play in clutch spots to first will the Packers back into the game and then overwhelm the Saints at the end. His two-play sequence on the fourth down touchdown run and two-point conversion were special plays. So was his 24-yard scramble, 30-yard completion to Romeo Doubs, 30-yard completion to Jayden Reed and 8-yard touchdown pass to Doubs.
Duds
RB A.J. Dillon: His second chance at being the lead back finished with 11 carries, 33 rushing yards and zero receptions. Patrick Taylor was on the field for 31 snaps, stealing precious playing time away from Dillon, especially once the Packers went hurry up and leaned on the passing game. Taylor is the far better receiver and pass-blocker.
RG Jon Runyan Jr: He was guilty of holding on the first series, and his struggles in the run game were a big reason why the Packers never got going consistently on the ground.
