Down Davante Adams, Packers get huge boost from Allen Lazard, TEs vs. Saints
The Green Bay Packers didn’t have three-time Pro Bowl receiver Davante Adams and didn’t get a big night from running back Aaron Jones on Sunday night against the New Orleans Saints.
So how did Matt LaFleur’s team score 37 points against a veteran defense on the road?
Aaron Rodgers is the easy answer, but the Packers quarterback got plenty of help in the passing game from emerging receiver Allen Lazard and a host of tight ends.
Lazard had his finest night as a professional player, catching six passes for a career-high 146 yards, including a 48-yard catch that set up his 5-yard touchdown and a career-long 72-yard catch that set up another touchdown in the second half. He also drew a pass interference penalty on a free play, setting up the Packers’ final score.
In the first half, Lazard blew past Marshon Lattimore on a vertical route from the slot and made an impressive catch while stumbling for 48 yards. On the third play of the second half, Lazard got behind the secondary and made an over-the-shoulder catch on a perfect ball from Rodgers and nearly scored.
Lazard likely would have caught a second touchdown pass in the fourth quarter had Janoris Jenkins not been holding his left arm in the end zone on a free play.
Through three games, Lazard has 14 catches for 254 yards and two touchdowns. He has catches of at least 20 yards in all three games and has four catches of at least 20 yards overall.
Rodgers, who tossed three touchdown passes, also got the tight ends involved.
Robert Tonyan caught five passes for 50 yards and a crucial touchdown, Jace Sternberger bounced back by catching all three of his targets for 36 yards and veteran Marcedes Lewis made a rare play as a receiver when he beat Malcolm Jenkins on an extended play for an 18-yard touchdown. Together, the three combined for nine catches, 104 receiving yards and two of Rodgers’ three touchdown passes.
Tonyan now has a touchdown in back-to-back games, while Sternberger delivered huge catches down the stretch after dropping two passes against the Detroit Lions last week. The pair were deadly on designed boots and rollouts.
Tonyan’s late touchdown off of a well-disguised run fake increased the Packers’ lead to 37-27 all but sealed the victory for LaFleur’s team.
The Saints wanted a penalty on Lewis’ touchdown, but he made minimal contact on Jenkins, who was trailing in coverage and had no clue where the football was on the play. Lewis made an athletic catch above his head for the touchdown, giving the Packers a 27-20 lead in the third quarter.
Dennis Allen’s defense clearly made it a priority to load the box against Jones and prevent Marquez Valdes-Scantling from beating them over the top, so Lazard and the tight ends did the heavy lifting for an offense that looks diverse and deadly.
Rodgers finished the contest completing 21 passes for 283 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. His passer rating was 124.9. Through three games, Rodgers has nine touchdown passes, zero interceptions and a passer rating of 121.1.
Overall, the Packers scored on seven of nine possessions, not including a possession late in the first half that only included the kickoff return and the final kneel down to finish the fourth quarter. The Packers punted once and were stopped once on a fourth-down near midfield. The offense converted six third or fourth down opportunities and scored touchdowns on four of five trips inside the red zone.
