Packers Secure Playoff Spot with Dominant Shutout Against Saints
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers delivered a performance to remember on Monday night, achieving the first shutout of the entire NFL season and securing a playoff berth for the second consecutive year. The only hiccup in their otherwise flawless evening was a knee injury sustained by Christian Watson.
The injury occurred during a 14-yard gain on an end around in the second quarter of the Packers’ 34-0 victory over the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field. As Watson went out of bounds at the Saints’ 6-yard line, New Orleans defensive backs Alontae Taylor and Kool-Aid McKinstry landed on his left knee.
“There’s some concern there certainly,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur commented post-game. “We’re going to get some more testing done tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll have an answer for you tomorrow.”
Despite the injury, Watson returned to the field for seven more snaps, including four in the third quarter, before ultimately deciding to sit out the remainder of the game. He stayed on the Packers’ sideline, supporting his team.
“It definitely hurt right away but it felt like it was good enough to go back in, so I went back in and it was feeling all right,” Watson explained. “But it was just kind of lingering a little bit and I just couldn’t play the type of football I wanted to play, so I just had to shut it down.”
Watson did not record a catch but managed two rushes for 23 yards. Aside from Watson’s setback, the night was monumental for the Packers.
Not only was it their first shutout since the 2021 season, but they also clinched a playoff spot with two games still to play. Although the Packers (11-4) can’t win the NFC North, they are still in the running for the top wild-card seed. Their remaining schedule includes two division games — at Minnesota (13-2) on Sunday and home against the Bears (4-11) in Week 18.
According to ESPN Research, there had not been a shutout in the NFL all season before Monday, marking the latest into a season for the first shutout in league history.
“The defense played ball,” said Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon, who contributed a sack fumble in the second quarter. “A shutout in the NFL is the hardest thing to do, and to do it on prime time is even harder, and to clinch a playoff berth doing that is a helluva deal.”
For Packers quarterback Jordan Love, this marks his second playoff berth in as many seasons as the team’s starting quarterback. For LaFleur, it is the fifth time in six seasons as the Packers coach that his team has qualified for the playoffs.
Veteran free agent additions Xavier McKinney and Josh Jacobs, who had each played in only one playoff game before joining the Packers this past offseason, expressed their satisfaction with the team’s success.
“It’s kind of hard to put into words, man,” said Jacobs, who rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown before being given most of the second half off with the game comfortably in hand. “It’s the main reason why I came here.”
McKinney added, “I was telling [Nixon] … before I had to scratch and claw to get into the playoffs …”
Nixon interrupted with a smile, “Welcome to Green Bay.”
On the other side of the field, the Saints, now 5-10 and starting Spencer Rattler at quarterback in place of the injured Derek Carr, were shut out for only the second time since 2002. However, Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi did not attribute the loss to a lack of effort.
“The day I took over we were on a seven-game losing streak,” Rizzi said. “It would’ve been easier, easy for a lot of players and veteran guys especially, to kind of check out and I’ve never ever felt that. I didn’t feel that today. I thought, to be honest with you, I thought we had a great prep week, we had a great walkthrough last night. I felt like we were locked in. We didn’t perform. Sometimes in this league it’s going to happen.
“We didn’t have a very good performance. I never felt like our guys are looking down the road and not giving effort because of our playoff status. I never felt like that one time during this time I’ve taken over. I didn’t feel like that tonight. I feel like we got out coached and out executed. That’s the way it is.”
ESPN Staff Writer Katherine Terrell contributed to this report.
Originally Written by: Rob Demovsky
