Week 17 vs. Detroit Game Release.indd - NFL.com

J.Kasay (30) (38)
GREEN BAY 42, NEW ORLEANS 34
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- A Super Bowl hangover and the NFL lockout weren’t about to slow down Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. The
New Orleans Saints just couldn’t keep up.
Rodgers came out on top in a memorable opening-night duel with Drew Brees, and the Packers made a goal-line stand on the final play of the
game to beat the Saints 42-34 on Thursday night.
With the Saints on the 1-yard line, Clay Matthews and safety Morgan Burnett led a swarm of Packers defenders who stopped Saints rookie running
back Mark Ingram short of the goal line.
Rodgers and Brees had big games, but Packers rookie Randall Cobb stole the show.
Cobb, a second-round draft pick out of Kentucky, caught a touchdown from Rodgers and ran a kickoff back 108 yards for a score in the third
quarter -- tying an NFL record for the longest kickoff return in history.
In the wake of a rules change designed to promote touchbacks, Cobb just decided to run one back from deep in the end zone.
Rodgers threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns.
Brees threw for 419 yards and three touchdowns, including a late touchdown to Jimmy Graham that cut the lead to 8 with 2:15 left.
After a Green Bay punt, Brees marched the Saints to the Packers 9-yard line and spiked the ball with 3 seconds left. Green Bay’s A.J. Hawk was
called for pass interference and the ball was placed at the 1.
Led by Matthews and Burnett, the Packers defense swarmed Ingram short of the goal line and the game was over.
It was a big night for Donald Driver, who tied James Lofton’s Packers franchise mark for career yards receiving with 9,656.
The Packers’ most impressive scoring play of the night came courtesy of Cobb, who fielded the ball deep in the Packers’ end zone in the third
quarter but took it out anyway. Cobb spun off a tackling attempt by the Saints’ Leigh Torrence, put his right hand down to keep his balance, then
rambled to the end zone.
Cobb’s 108-yard return tied an NFL record set by New England’s Ellis Hobbs in September 2007. It also was the Packers’ first kickoff return for
a touchdown since Allen Rossum in 2000.
Cobb’s big return gave the Packers a 35-20 lead, but the game wasn’t over. Darren Sproles answered with a long kickoff return of his own, and
Brees drove the Saints for a 29-yard touchdown to Devery Henderson.
With a massive stage engulfing a portion of the Lambeau Field parking lot for a pregame concert, Thursday night certainly felt like a big game had
come to the NFL’s smallest market. Going into the game, Greg Jennings compared it to a “mini Super Bowl.”
But there wasn’t anything small about the Packers’ performance, proving once again that they were ready for the bright lights and a tough
opponent.
OFFICIALS — Referee: Clete Blakeman (34); Line Judge: Jeff Seeman (45); Head Linesman: Tony Veteri (36); Field Judge: Buddy Horton (82);
Umpire: Garth DeFelice (53); Side Judge: Greg Meyer (78); Back Judge: Terrence Miles (111); Replay Official: Dick Creed
GREEN BAY SUBSTITUTIONS — K 2 M.Crosby, P 8 T.Masthay, WR 18 R.Cobb, RB 20 A.Green, CB 22, P.Lee, CB/S 24 J.Bush, S 26
C.Peprah, FB 30 J.Kuhn, RB 44 J.Starks, LB 49 R.Francois, LB 51 D.Smith, LB 57 J.Lattimore, LB 59 B.Jones, LS 61 B.Goode, C/G 62 E.Dietrich-
Smith, G/T 74 M.Newhouse, TE 81 A.Quarless, TE 83 T.Crabtree, TE 84 D.Williams, WR 89 J.Jones, DE 94 J.Wynn, NT 95 H.Green, DE 98 C.Wilson.
DID NOT PLAY — QB 10 M.Flynn.
FIELD GOALS (made ( ) & missed)
1 2 3 4 OT Total
VISITOR: New Orleans Saints 7 10 10 7 0 34
HOME: Green Bay Packers 21 7 7 7 0 42
GREEN BAY DEFENSIVE STATISTICS (official)
GAME
Lambeau Field, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011. Attendance: 70,555. Time: 3:09. Weather: 68° F, Humidity: 67 percent, Wind: Variable 5 mph
1
New Orleans Saints
RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD
M.Ingram 13 40 3.1 9 0
P.Thomas 5 31 6.2 21 0
D.Sproles 2 7 3.5 7 0
D.Brees 1 3 3.0 3 0
Total 21 81 3.9 21 0
PASSING ATT CMP YDS SK/YD TD LG IN RT
D.Brees 49 32 419 3/23 3 36 0 112.5
Total 49 32 419 3/23 3 36 0 112.5
PASS RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD
D.Sproles 7 75 10.7 36 0
D.Henderson 6 100 16.7 29t 1
M.Colston 6 81 13.5 23 0
R.Meachem 5 70 14.0 31t 1
J.Graham 4 56 14.0 21 1
P.Thomas 4 37 9.3 15 0
Total 32 419 13.1 36 3
INTERCEPTIONS NO YDS AVG LG TD
Total 0 0 0.0 0 0
PUNTING NO YDS AVG NET TB IN20 LG
T.Morstead 2 98 49.0 36.5 1 0 53
Total 2 98 49.0 36.5 1 0 53
PUNT RETURNS NO YDS AVG FC LG TD
D.Sproles 2 92 46.0 0 72t 1
(downed) 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
(t’back) 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
Returns 2 92 46.0 0 72t 1
KICK RETURNS NO YDS AVG FC LG TD
D.Sproles 2 76 38.0 0 57 0
J.Collins 1 7 7.0 0 7 0
(t’back) 4 0 0.0 0 0 0
Returns 3 83 27.7 0 57 0
Own Opp Out
FUMBLES Fum Lost Rec Yds TD FF Rec Yds TD Bds
M.Colston 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
D.Henderson 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Green Bay Packers
RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD
J.Starks 12 57 4.8 17t 1
R.Grant 9 40 4.4 10 0
J.Kuhn 2 5 2.5 4 1
A.Rodgers 4 1 0.3 2 0
Total 27 103 3.8 17 2
PASSING ATT CMP YDS SK/YD TD LG IN RT
A.Rodgers 35 27 312 2/16 3 36 0 132.1
Total 35 27 312 2/16 3 36 0 132.1
PASS RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD
G.Jennings 7 89 12.7 22 1
J.Nelson 6 77 12.8 36 1
D.Driver 4 41 10.3 16 0
J.Finley 3 53 17.7 20 0
R.Cobb 2 35 17.5 32t 1
J.Kuhn 2 7 3.5 7 0
R.Grant 1 5 5.0 5 0
T.Crabtree 1 4 4.0 4 0
J.Jones 1 1 1.0 1 0
Total 27 312 11.6 36 3
INTERCEPTIONS NO YDS AVG LG TD
Total 0 0 0.0 0 0
PUNTING NO YDS AVG NET TB IN20 LG
T.Masthay 4 170 42.5 14.5 1 0 52
Total 4 170 42.5 14.5 1 0 52
PUNT RETURNS NO YDS AVG FC LG TD
R.Cobb 1 5 5.0 0 5 0
(downed) 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
(t’back) 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
Returns 1 5 5.0 0 5 0
STARTING LINEUPS
New Orleans Saints Green Bay Packers
Offense Defense Offense Defense
WR 12 M.Colston LDE 90 T.McBride WR 85 G.Jennings LDE 79
R.Pickett
LT 74 J.Bushrod NT 99 A.Franklin LT 76 C.Clifton NT 90 R.Pickett
LG 77 C.Nicks DT 98 S.Ellis LG 70 T.Lang LOLB 52 B.Raji
C 50 O.Kreutz RDE 97 C.Jordan C 63 S.Wells BLB 50 C.Matthews
RG 73 J.Evans SLB 52 J.Casillas RG 71 J.Sitton MLB 55 A.Hawk
KICK RETURNS NO YDS AVG FC LG TD
R.Cobb 2 135 67.5 0 108t 1
(t’back) 4 0 0.0 0 0 0
RT 64 Z.Strief MLB 51 J.Vilma RT 75 B.Bulaga ROLB 93 E.Walden
TE 80 J.Graham WLB 58 S.Shanle TE 88 J.Finley LCB 21
C.Woodson
WR 19 D.Henderson LCB 33 J.Greer WR 80 D.Driver RCB 38 C.Woodson
QB 9 D.Brees RCB 22 T.Porter WR 87 J.Nelson SS 42 T.Williams
RB 23 P.Thomas SS 41 R.Harper QB 12 A.Rodgers FS 36 M.Burnett
FB 45 J.Collins FS 27 M.Jenkins RB 25 R.Grant 3CB 37 N.Collins
Visitor Home
Saints Packers
TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 27 24
By Rushing 5 10
By Passing 20 14
By Penalty 2 0
THIRD-DOWN EFFICIENCY 9-14-64% 8-12-67%
FOURTH-DOWN EFFICIENCY 0-1-0% 0-0-0%
TOTAL NET YARDS 477 399
Total Offensive Plays 73 64
Average gain per offensive play 6.5 6.2
NET YARDS RUSHING 81 103
Total Rushing Plays 21 27
Average gain per rushing play 3.9 3.8
Tackles for a loss-number and yards 1-2 2-3
NET YARDS PASSING 396 296
Times thrown - yards lost att. to pass 3-23 2-16
Gross yards passing 419 312
PASS ATT-COMP-INT 49-32-0 35-27-0
Avg gain per pass play 7.6 8.0
KICKOFFS Number-In EZ-Touchbacks 7-6-4 7-6-4
PUNTS Number and Average 2-49.0 4-42.5
Had Blocked 0 0
Returns 2 135 67.5 0 108t 1
Own Opp Out
FUMBLES Fum Lost Rec Yds TD FF Rec Yds TD Bds
N.Collins 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
T.Williams 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
S.Shields 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0
Visitor Home
Saints Packers
FGs - PATs had blocked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0-0 0-0
Net Punting Average . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36.5 14.5
TOTAL RETURN YARDS (not inc. kickoffs). . 92 5
No. and Yards Punt Returns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-92 1-5
No. and Yards Kickoff Returns . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-83 2-135
No. and Yards Interception Returns . . . . . . . . . . .0-0 0-0
PENALTIES Number and Yards . . . . . . . . . . .3-15 6-48
FUMBLES Number and Lost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-1 0-0
TOUCHDOWNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 6
Rushing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 2
Passing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3
Returns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1
EXTRA POINTS Made-Attempts . . . . . . . . . . . .4-4 6-6
Kicking Made-Attempts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-4 4-4
FIELD GOALS Made-Attempts . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-2 0-0
RED-ZONE EFFICIENCY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5-20% 4-4-100%
GOAL-TO-GO EFFICIENCY. . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2-50% 2-2-100%
SAFETIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 0
FINAL SCORE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 42
TIME OF POSSESSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27:06 32:54
Team Qtr Time Play Description (Extra Point) (Drive Info) Visitor Home
Packers 1 10:12 G.Jennings 7 yd. pass from A.Rodgers (M.Crosby kick) (9-76, 4:52) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 7
Packers 1 6:29 J.Nelson 3 yd. pass from A.Rodgers (M.Crosby kick) (6-36, 3:05) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 14
Saints 1 3:37 R.Meachem 31 yd. pass from D.Brees (J.Kasay kick) (6-80, 2:53). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 14
Packers 1 0:19 R.Cobb 32 yd. pass from A.Rodgers (M.Crosby kick) (6-80, 3:20) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 21
Saints 2 9:44 J.Kasay 30 yd. field goal (14-71, 5:16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 21
Saints 2 8:55 D.Sproles 72 yd. punt return (J.Kasay kick) (0-72, 0:00) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 21
Packers 2 2:05 J.Starks 17 yd. run (M.Crosby kick) (14-80, 6:38) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 28
Saints 3 8:45 J.Kasay 38 yd. field goal (14-60, 6:20) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 28
Packers 3 8:40 R.Cobb 108 yd. kick return (M.Crosby kick) (0-108, 0:00) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 35
Saints 3 7:00 D.Henderson 29 yd. pass from D.Brees (J.Kasay kick) (3-46, 1:32). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 35
Packers 4 11:52 J.Kuhn 1 yd. run (M.Crosby kick) (12-93, 3:10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 42
Saints 4 2:20 J.Graham 5 yd. pass from D.Brees (J.Kasay kick) (12-76, 3:20) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 42
UT A TFL TT Sck QBH FF FR Int PD
M.Burnett 9 5 0 14 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0
D.Bishop 11 0 0 11 0-0 1 0 0 0-0 0
N.Collins 6 1 0 7 0-0 0 1 0 0-0 0
S.Shields 5 1 0 6 0-0 0 1 0 0-0 3
E.Walden 4 2 1 6 1-13 2 0 0 0-0 1
R.Pickett 2 4 0 6 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0
A.Hawk 4 1 0 5 0.5-5 0 0 0 0-0 0
C.Matthews 3 2 1 5 0-0 5 0 0 0-0 0
UT A TFL TT Sck QBH FF FR Int PD
J.Wynn 4 0 1 4 1-0 1 0 0 0-0 0
B.Raji 3 1 0 4 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 1
T.Williams 3 1 1 4 0-0 0 0 1 0-0 1
C.Woodson 2 0 0 2 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 1
J.Bush 1 0 0 1 0.5-5 0 0 0 0-0 1
Totals 57 18 4 75 3-23 9 2 1 0-0 8