By Bob McGinn of the Journal SentinelNew Orleans - A shootout broke out at the Superdome on Monday night and the Green Bay Packers got gunned down.
Indomitable Drew Brees fired four touchdown passes through the Packers' heretofore stingy secondary in the Saints' electrifying and stunning 51-29 victory.
The Packers (5-6) fell a game off the pace in the NFC North Division race behind the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears, both of whom went on the road a day earlier and emerged victorious.
On the other hand, Green Bay dropped its third straight road game for the first time in coach Mike McCarthy's tenure. It was the only the second time since November 2006 that the Packers weren't even competitive in the second half of a game.
The 52 points were the sixth most allowed by the Packers in their history and the most since coach Forrest Gregg's team fell apart in the 1986 finale against the New York Giants, 55-24. The club record for most points allowed was the 61-7 debacle at the hands of the Bears in December 1980, when Bears personnel man Bill Tobin later admitted having stolen coach Bart Starr's signs.
Green Bay also suffered a host of injuries, including tackle Mark Tauscher (hamstring) on the second play of the game. Others departing early were defensive tackle Johnny Jolly (right ankle), safety Aaron Rouse (right ankle), running back Brandon Jackson (foot) and cornerback Pat Lee (unspecified).
By losing, the Packers fell behind 11 of the 15 other teams in the NFC. Obviously, their only chance now for a playoff berth is to win the division. Green Bay is just 4-5 against NFC teams.
Brees riddled the Packers' secondary for 20 completions in 26 attempts for 323 yards and a passer rating of 157.5, just off the maximum of 158.6.
His counterpart, Aaron Rodgers, hit 23 of 41 for 248 yards, with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Harassed from start to finish, he scrambled eight times for 36 and was sacked twice. His passer rating was 59.8.
New Orleans, which tied its franchise scoring record, outgained the Packers, 416-343, and averaged a whopping 7.7 yards per play.
The Saints went to the locker room at halftime with a 24-21 lead and a 211-195 edge in total yardage. Brees had a passer rating of 156.8 and Rodgers checked in with 102.1. New Orleans had punted once and the Packers twice.
"It was a game in which you had to answer," general manager Ted Thompson said. "It was a wide-open game."
Will Blackmon's 27-yard punt return set up the first score, a 1-yard run by John Kuhn. On the Saints' next play from scrimmage, Charles Woodson blitzed off the slot and the Packers played the coverage poorly behind him, enabling wide receiver Lance Moore to pivot away from Atari Bigby for a 70-yard touchdown.
"Looked like we had a breakdown," Thompson said. "I don't know what it was but there weren't enough people over there." [url=index.php?name=Pro_News&aid=96]Read More...[/url].