4 horrible stats that defined Packers’ embarrassing loss to Saints

3. 25:24

Time of possession.

A consequence of drives stalling on third down is that the Packers didn’t keep the ball for long. The Saints were the total opposite, and they dominated time of possession. On a hot day in Jacksonville, that makes life difficult on the defense.

In the opening half, the Saints had consecutive drives of 15 plays that lasted a combined 17:51 minutes. In between, the Packers held the ball for only five plays in a drive that took only three minutes off the clock.

It was an ugly combination of a defense that played soft and couldn’t get off the field, and an offense that provided little assistance, quickly giving possession back to their opponents.

Run defense plays a big part in this. New Orleans ran the ball for fun, rushing 39 times compared to just 21 pass attempts. The Saints piled up 171 yards on the ground at a healthy average of 4.4 yards per attempt. That allowed them to dictate the tempo of the game, tire the Packers’ defense, and keep Aaron Rodgers off the field.

By the time the Packers offense did return, they were behind the game, which led to Rodgers playing hero ball. Time of possession quickly went the wrong way in Week 1.