There will be plenty of storylines to track as the New Orleans Saints (5-9) travel to face off with the Green Bay Packers (10-4) at Lambeau Field. It’s a win-and-in playoff scenario for the Packers on Monday Night Football while the Saints may be eliminated by the time they take the field. But New Orleans can market its young talent and building blocks on national TV as it looks to potentially attract its next head coach.
Here are five things to know about this Week 16 matchup.
1. Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler is back at the helm.
With starting passer Derek Carr officially ruled out with a left hand injury, the Saints will turn back to the rookie Rattler. After an 0-3 starting campaign earlier in the season, the fifth-round selection can build on the excitement generated last week when he pioneered four consecutive scoring drives. The rookie has a massive opportunity ahead of him against a challenging opponent. With the potential of another pair of starts before season’s end, he could make his case as the next starter in New Orleans.
2. Running back Alvin Kamara may miss multiple games down the stretch.
The star running back is just 50 rushing yards away from his first ever 1,000 yard rushing season. But an unfortunate groin injury will keep him sidelined this week. Per interim head coach Darren Rizzi, Kamara will be week-to-week with his ailment. While he will push to get back on the field next weekend, his status for the remainder of the season is uncertain. The Saints say that they will deploy a running back by committee approach. However, second-year rusher Kendre Miller is likely to get the greater of the workload.
3. Wide receiver Chris Olave has been practicing again.
While he won’t be on the field Monday, behind the scenes lies one of the best feel-good stories of the 2024 season. After taking a scary hit that led to a second confirmed concussion in the season back in Week 9. Olave, around whom questions swirled regarding his football future, made his return to practice this week. Rizzi called it one of the great “human stories” of the year and he was absolutely right to say so.
4. The Green Bay Packers are tough to be at home, especially when…
Under head coach Matt LaFleur, the Packers are an impressive 37-11 at home. 37 wins is tied for No. 2 across the league for most home wins since 2019. Of the team’s 48 home matchups, 16 have been late games, in which the Packers are 12-4.
But when Green Bay is at its best at home is when the team wins the turnover margin. Per Rizzi, the Packers are 24-0 in such games.
The Saints have generated just two takeaways in their last five games. They’ll need to improve on that drastically Monday night.
5. Saints signal callers prepared for this game in a freezer.
During Rattler’s Friday media availability he said that quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko took all three available quarterbacks into the team facility’s freezer to run through the game script. Being in New Orleans and trying to prepare for the frigid temperatures of the winter north is not an easy task. So the innovative position coach took things into his own hands to simulate the mental and physical strain of the cold. He reportedly drew inspiration from one of the greatest movies of all time.
