JACKSONVILLE, FLA (WTAQ) – Can’t say anyone outside a Texas Christian University locker room saw that coming.
The New Orleans Saints, re-routed to Fort Worth, Texas because of Hurricane Ida, routed the Green Bay Packers 38-3 in the 2021 season opener played at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida before a crowd of 35,242, most of them transplanted Packer fans who went home in a state of shock.
It was one of the most confounding openers in franchise history, the worst loss started by three time MVP Aaron Rodgers in his career and according to ESPN Stats and Information, the most one sided defeat ever suffered by a team that played in a conference championship game the year before.
Making his starting debut for the Saints, Jameis Winston put up five touchdown passes against new defensive coordinator Joe Barry’s scheme. It wasn’t just an aerial circus on a sticky, 83 degree day as New Orleans also ran the ball for 171 yards and controlled the clock for more than 34 minutes.
The Packers came out listless, never found their footing and as Head Coach Matt LaFleur put it bluntly, “We got embarrassed.”
The game’s opening drive covered 49 yards in 9 plays ad Aldrick Rosas gave New Orleans a 3-0 lead with a 44 yard field goal.
Green Bay’s offense managed just one first down before punting and the Saints embarked on a 15 play, 76 yard drive to stretch the lead to 10 early in the second quarter. Winston converted a third and 8 with a 10 yard scramble and at the three, flipped a shovel pass to Alvin Kamara who got the corner for a three yard touchdown.
Two A.J. Dillon runs gained 12 yards on the next series but Marcus Davenport came clean for a sack of 11 and the Packers couldn’t recover, punting for a second time.
Winston converted a 4th and 7 at the Packer 41 by hitting tight end Juwann Johnson on a 12 yard screen. Kamara ripped off a 14 yard run and the Saints capped another long (14 play, 80 yard, 10:00) drive by executing on 4th and goal from the 1. Winston, under pressure, found Johnson at the back of the end zone where he leaped above safety Adrian Amos for the score and a stunning 17-0 lead.
Davante Adams made a terrific, 31 yard catch in the final seconds of the half to set up Mason Crosby’s 39 yard field goal for Green Bay’s only points.
After deferring on the coin toss, the offense put together it’s only sustained drive of the day, marching to the Saints 9. On 2nd and 7, Rodgers got rushed and inexplicably tried to shovel a pass toward Adams but there wasn’t much on the ball floating behind the receiver and Paulson Adebo picked it off, returning it 33 yards. It was the first red zone pick of Rodgers since week 6 of 2019, a stretch where he had thrown 45 red zone TD’s since.
While the Saints couldn’t cash in, they got another gift four plays after punting. Rodgers took a deep shot for Marquez Valdes-Scantling but the ball sailed over his head and into the arms of dropping centerfield safety Marcus Williams. He had plenty of room to run, taking it back 53 yards to the Green Bay 12.
Three plays later, Winston found Chris Hogan running away from Chandon Sullivan for an 8 yard touchdown and a 24-3 lead.
Desperate to get back into the game, LaFleur went for it on 4th and 1 from hs own 22 but Rodgers’ first read, Marcedes Lewis fell down and when he tried to hit Adams in the right flat, Marshon Lattimore, playing with a cast on his wrist from an injury suffered earlier, broke up the play.
It looked like the Packers got a break when Darnell Savage gathered an interception in the end zone and took it out to the 25 but a flag was thrown. Za’Darius Smith was called for roughing the passer on what clearly was a legal hit on Winston. The Saints cashed with Johnson went high for his second touchdown from 8 yards out, finding himself wide open in the corner of the end zone when Sulllivan and Kevin King knocked each other down.
Two penalties back to back killed the next offensive series and Winston capped his huge game by firing a 55 yard touchdown to Deonte Harris who ran right past King to make it 38-3.
The white flag went up as Jordan Love made his NFL regular season debut and finished the game. He hit Amari Rodgers for 19 yards on third and 7, the only third down conversion of the day for the offense in 10 tries.
Love would drive the Pack from it’s 37 to the New Orleans five in the closing seconds but he got his arm hit by Tanoh Kpassagnon forcing a fumble that was recovered by Kaden Ellis at the 2. A fitting finish to an absolutely miserable day.
LaFleur gave credit to the Saints but admitted it was a really ugly start to the season.
Rodgers finished with a passer rating of 36.8, completing 15 of 28 passes for 133 yards and two interceptions. He said, “we played bad, I played bad.”
The Saints were intent on taking away explosive plays which did them in during Green Bay’s 37-30 win in New Orleans last year. They played a lot of two-shell coverage deep with a depleted secondary but their front four neutralized the Pack’s running game, giving up just 43 yards on 15 carries. The longest run was just 8 yards. LaFleur said when a defense is almost daring you to run, he should have been more determined to stick with it.
Winston meanwhile was outstanding, hitting 14 of 20 for only 148 yards but five scores and a rating of 130.8. Kamara led the Saints ground game with 83 yards on 20 carries.
There was only one injury of note, tight end Josiah Deguara, who tore his ACL in last year’s season opener, left in the second quarter with a conucssion.
The Green Bay inactive players were Shemar Jean-Charles, Vernon Scott, Isaiah McDuffie, Jake Hanson and Jack Heflin.
The Packers hadn’t dropped an opener since 2014, a 36-16 romp by Seattle on the road. They’ll have an extra day to stew and make corrections before playing their home opener at Lambeau Field next Monday night against the Detroit Lions.
