Keys to the Game: Packers at Saints

PACKERS Tale of Turnovers With the New Orleans Saints sporting the No. 2-ranked offense in the NFL, it’s unlikely the Green Bay Packers’ defense will be able to keep Drew Brees in check the entire game. That might not matter because of two factors: Aaron Rodgers’ ability to keep the Packers in games, and the Packers’ defense’s ability to create turnovers. The Packers have the NFL’s best turnover ratio — plus-10. The Saints are ranked 29th in the league at minus-eight. If the Packers’ defense can create turnovers, no matter how good the Saints’ offense is, it won’t be able to keep up with the Packers. Brees has been more prone to throwing interceptions this season. He has already thrown seven. Rodgers, meanwhile, is still at one, none over the last six games. Fast Starts After starting the first three games of the season slowly, the Packers have scored on their first or second possession in the last four games, all victories. Against the Carolina Panthers and the Chicago Bears, the Packers scored on their first three possessions. The Packers only failed to score on their first possession against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night in Week 5, but came back with a quick strike on their next possession and rolled to a big win. The fast starts have been key to the Packers’ win streak, setting a tone for the game. Early scores put the other team on notice that this game is going to be high-scoring, and they had better keep up. That helps the Packers’ 31st-ranked run defense, since teams trying to score are impatient with the running game. Playing on the road, the fast start also helps the Packers quiet a loud crowd, which they are likely to face in New Orleans. SAINTS Fourth-Quarter Failures So far this season the Saints have given up fourth-quarter leads to lose two games — to the Cleveland Browns, 26-24, in Week 2 and last week to the Detroit Lions, 24-23. Two other games went into overtime after being tied in regulation, a loss at Atlanta and a win at home against Tampa Bay. Throwing out a comfortable home win against Minnesota, and a blowout loss to Dallas, and that is four of six games where the Saints had problems winning winnable games. With the quick-strike Packers, no fourth-quarter lead is safe. Whatever the score might be down the stretch Sunday, the Saints will have to find a way to play their best football to close out the game. Run Attack While a lot of the Saints’ offense is predicated on Brees and his ability to get the ball to his receivers, it would be foolish to try to get into a shootout with Rodgers. As good as Brees is, he’s playing nowhere near as crisply as Rodgers is right now. Saints running back Mark Ingram, who returned last week from a thumb injury, and Khiry Robinson should get plenty of opportunities — not only because it is the Packers’ weakest link on defense, but also because it keeps Rodgers where the Saints want him — on the sideline. EXTRA POINTS Must-See Matchup: Drew Brees vs. Packers’ pass rushers Drew Brees is a hall of fame quarterback. The Packers’ pass rush has stars in Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews. Add in Nick Perry and Mike Neal, and the Packers are designed to go after quarterbacks. Brees has the second-best passing offense in the league, the fourth-best offense on third-downs and the 11th-ranked red zone offense. The Packers answer with the sixth-best passing defense, which is ninth in the league in points allowed. The defense has limited opposing quarterbacks to a quarterback rating of below 85.0 in the last six games. Something has to give in this matchup Sunday. Hot Streak: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix got his first start at safety Sunday after playing in a rotation with Micah Hyde and Morgan Burnett in the first six weeks of the season. It’s a sign that the rookie first-round draft pick is learning the game, making adjustments to the NFL and earning his coaches’ trust that he knows what he is doing. Clinton-Dix’s athletic ability was evident from his first days at minicamp, but becoming fluid with an intricate defense was always going to take time. Now that he is showing that he’s got the mental aspects of the game down, he should be a fixture in a vastly improved Packers secondary. With Morgan Burnett slowed by a calf injury, the Packers will lean more on Clinton-Dix this week. Drew Brees will provide an excellent test for the rookie.