GREEN BAY – The Saints controlled the game in the second half and ruined Packers QB Brett Hundley's first NFL start in a 26-17 decision at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
Leading 14-7 at halftime, the Packers were outscored 19-3 after intermission as Saints QB Drew Brees completed 27-of-38 for 331 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for an 84.4 passer rating. New Orleans RB Mark Ingram had 22 carries for 105 yards and a score. WR Ted Ginn led the Saints receivers with seven catches for 141 yards, and RB Alvin Kamara added 107 yards from scrimmage (57 rushing, 50 receiving).
For the Packers, Hundley was 12-of-25 for 87 yards with an interception for a 39.9 rating. Rookie RB Aaron Jones rushed 17 times for 131 yards and a TD.
With the loss, the Packers dropped into second place in the NFC North at 4-3, one game behind the 5-2 Vikings, who beat Baltimore. Green Bay now has its bye week and returns in Week 9 on Monday Night Football against division rival Detroit at Lambeau Field.
Here's a recap of all the action.
First quarter:
The Packers took an early 7-0 lead and got two interceptions on defense in the first quarter against the Saints.
The Packers got on the board right away, and new QB Brett Hundley didn't even need to complete a pass. Rookie RB Aaron Jones ran for 15 yards on the game's first snap. An offside penalty turned a third-and-7 into third-and-2, and Jones took it for 6 yards around left end to move the chains. On the next snap, Jones burst through a huge hole up the middle and went 46 yards for a touchdown, putting the Packers up 7-0 just two minutes into the game.
QB Drew Brees got the Saints moving with passes of 24 and 14 yards to rookie RB Alvin Kamara. Brees then converted on fourth-and-2 from the Green Bay 29 with a 5-yard pass to WR Michael Thomas. Three plays later, though, on third-and-6, Brees tried to go to the end zone to WR Brandon Coleman, and Packers CB Damarious Randall intercepted. It was Randall's third interception in as many games, and just the third interception Brees has thrown this season.
The Packers went three-and-out. After a pair of runs by Jones picked up 9, Hundley threw incomplete to WR Davante Adams on third-and-short, and Green Bay punted. Saints WR Ted Ginn called for a fair catch and muffed the ball, but it didn't hit the ground and the Packers were called for fair-catch interference when they thought they had recovered a fumble.
Two plays later, Brees went deep to Ginn for 40 yards, but two plays after that, Packers CB Davon House intercepted a deep ball for Thomas, and the Packers took over deep in their own territory.
But the Packers went three-and-out again, failing on third-and-1 for the second straight drive. P Justin Vogel's 41-yard punt put New Orleans on its own 47. A 6-yard pass to Ginn and a 12-yard run by Kamara closed out the quarter with the Saints on the Green Bay 35.
Second quarter:
New quarterback Brett Hundley rushed for his first NFL touchdown, and the Packers entered halftime with a 14-7 lead over the Saints.
Saints RB Mark Ingram started the second quarter with runs of 6 and 8 yards to the Green Bay 21. The on third-and-1 from the 12, Ingram ran off left end untouched for the touchdown, and the game was tied at 7.
The Packers got moving on offense again as Jones ran for 5 yards and a first down. A 14-yard swing pass to WR Randall Cobb turned into a big play when a horse-collar penalty was tacked on. A 12-yard pass over the middle to TE Martellus Bennett made it first down on the New Orleans 20.
Three plays later, Hundley scrambled around the left side for a 14-yard touchdown, and the Packers were back in front.
The Saints got out to midfield on a 17-yard pass to TE Coby Fleener, but the drive stalled there as Brees went deep on third-and-2 to Thomas but overshot him.
The Packers took over on their own 8-yard line and got out of the hole when Hundley scrambled for 22 yards on third down. A false start on first down helped kill the drive, though, and Vogel punted the Saints back to their own 20.
After a sack by Nick Perry, the Saints faced third-and-17 and converted with a slip screen to Ginn on the left side. That put New Orleans on the 30 at the two-minute warning, but the Packers got the next third-down stop on a swing pass to Kamara, and the Saints punted.
The Packers took over on their own 19 with 1:23 left in the half. With the Saints using their timeouts to try to get the ball back, Hundley converted on third-and-4 with a 14-yard pass to WR Geronimo Allison, but then Allison dropped the next pass on first down. A deep sideline throw to Bennett produced a defensive pass interference call on S Vonn Bell, putting Green Bay on the New Orleans 36.
A defensive holding call gave the Packers another five yards, and just 18 seconds remained. TE Richard Rodgers was then called for offensive pass interference, pushing Green Bay back to the 41. K Mason Crosby missed a 59-yard field goal try, and one second was left on the clock, but the Saints tried a short pass rather than a Hail Mary.
Third quarter:
The Saints scored twice in the third quarter to take a 16-14 lead over the Packers, who were driving as the fourth quarter began.
The Saints started the second half with a 39-yard kickoff return by WR Tommylee Lewis out to the New Orleans 41. Passes of 13 and 21 yards to Thomas, the latter on third-and-9, moved the Saints into scoring range. Two plays later, Brees found WR Brandon Coleman for a 22-yard touchdown pass. Packers DT Kenny Clark blocked the PAT, though, so Green Bay still led, 14-13, with 11:24 left in the third.
The Packers picked up one first down on WR Jordy Nelson's first reception of the game, for 13 yards, but a sack by Saints DE Alex Okafor helped stall the next series. Okafor knocked the ball free, but Packers G Justin McCray recovered, and Green Bay punted.
The Saints got moving again right away on a 47-yard catch and run by Ginn. A 9-yard pass to Coleman moved the chains again, and a 9-yard slant to Thomas converted on third-and-6 to put the ball on the Green Bay 13. Packers CB Davon House was down after the play and walked off under his own power, but came back into the game.
An illegal block on first down pushed the Saints back to the 23. Two pass completions set up third-and-7 from the 10, and Brees fired incomplete to Thomas in the end zone. K Wil Lutz was good from 28 yards out, and the Saints took their first lead of the day, 16-14, with 4:08 left in the quarter.
Hundley got the Packers going with an 8-yard read-option run for a first down. Jones had runs of 5 and 21 yards to get Green Bay across midfield. A swing pass to Cobb gained just one yard, and Cobb fumbled. But he recovered it himself, and the Saints were called for a personal foul for trying to pull a player off the pile.
The quarter expired with the Packers facing third-and-10 from the New Orleans 28.
Fourth quarter:
Hundley's deep pass to Adams on the first play of the fourth quarter was incomplete, and Crosby was good from 46 yards out to put Green Bay back in front, 17-16.
Brees hit Ginn for 9 yards and Thomas for 20 to get out near midfield. An 8-yard run by Ingram was followed by a 19-yard run by Kamara to the Green Bay 26. A tackle for loss by LB Clay Matthews set up third-and-10, and House broke up a pass for Lewis, forcing the Saints to settle for a field goal. Lutz was good from 44 yards, and New Orleans went back on top, 19-17, with 10:21 left.
The Packers couldn't answer, going three-and-out from their own 10-yard line after a holding penalty on the kickoff return. Another Green Bay penalty on the punt gave the Saints the ball on their own 45.
New Orleans wasted no time. On second down, Ingram burst through the line for a 24-yard run, and a horse-collar penalty on S Kentrell Brice made it first down on the Green Bay 13. A 7-yard run by Kamara and 3-yard pass to Ingram gave the Saints first-and-goal on the 2.
Three plays later, Brees reached the ball out while leaping over the line for the touchdown, and Lutz's extra point put the Saints up by two scores, 26-17, with 4:55 left.
Hundley then tried to go deep on the ensuing third down, and his overthrown pass was picked off by a diving S Kenny Vaccaro, effectively ending the game.
