Jordin Sparks performed the National Anthem and the Green Bay crowd
gave us this dazzling sight. (Image courtesy of NBC and Yahoo! Sports)
Last night was a case of a blowout turning into a thriller. Green Bay took control early, as Aaron Rodgers became just the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for three touchdowns in the 1st quarter of a season opener.
As the game wore on, however, the Saints defense shut down a couple of key series and Drew Brees caught fire. Brees finished the game with three touchdown passes, no picks, and 419 passing yards, around 100 more than Rodgers, who also seemed to be unstoppable.
One of the top statistical stories for this game was having two quarterbacks both throw for 300+ yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in the same game, and in a season opener on national television, no less.
However, the one story that may be even bigger was Randall Cobb, Green Bay’s rookie wide receiver. Cobb, picked in the second round out of Kentucky, is the first person born in the 1990s to play in the NFL, and he made a name for himself last night. He began his career with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers in the 1st quarter, pushing the Packers’ advantage to 21-7. Then, in the 3rd quarter, Cobb struck again, taking a kickoff out from eight yards deep in his end zone, being flipped onto his side and still staying on his feet at around the 22-yard line, then streaking down the field for an NFL record-tying 108-yard kickoff return touchdown.
That return evened the playing field just a quarter after Darren Sproles returned a Tim Masthay punt 72 yards to make it a 21-17 game.
Leading 35-27 early in the final quarter of play, the Packers finished a 12-play, 93-yard drive with Rodgers sneaking the ball into the belly of fullback John Kuhn who easily stepped into the end zone to extend Green Bay’s lead.
Drew Brees only seemed to play better during the final quarter, however, leading a quick 12-play touchdown drive that took just 3:20 off the game clock. A three-and-out forced by the Saints defense (after a failed onside kick) gave the Saints one final chance. Brees drove Green Bay’s defense back very efficiently during his final drive. He had just 1:08 to work with and no timeouts.
With just a few second left on the clock and the ball nine yards out of the end zone, Brees tried to get the ball in to Darren Sproles, but a nice defensive play by A.J. Hawk ended it…or so it appeared. On the replay, it appeared that the play could have been called either way, but pass interference was called on Hawk, who had jumped to knock down the pass and landed on Sproles just after tipping the pass down.
The Saints got an untimed play from the 1 and chose to give the ball to rookie Mark Ingram, the former Heisman winner out of Alabama. But the Packers’ defensive line took out the legs of the Saints’ offensive line and their linebackers took down Ingram before he could get anywhere near the goal line.
Final Score:
New Orleans – 34
Green Bay – 42
You can see my predictions for the rest of the weekend by clicking the link at the end of this post. Come back Monday for my thoughts on some key games from Sunday’s action and then on Tuesday for my post on the Monday Night games.
Puff's Picks: Week 1 Predictions
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