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By Peter Bukowski | Packer Report

An offensive guru, a Hall of Fame quarterback, star running back and receiver walk into a bar. Presumably this week that bar is on Bourbon Street and those four guys will run into a foursome who look remarkably similar. Matt LaFleur hopes to get where Sean Payton already cemented himself as one of the best coaches in the game with a Super Bowl trophy and bonafides as one of the best offensive minds in the game. Davante Adams and Aaron Jones likewise view their counterparts as aspirational, but in recognition more than productivity. Adams and Jones already play on the level of Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara, but haven't been recognized as such. And when it comes to Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers, their paths followed remarkably similar trajectories for a long time, with Brees nabbing his Lombardi Trophy in 2009, the year before Rodgers and the two battling it out for MVP in 2011.

Since then though, Brees went through a wandering in the wilderness yet faced no criticism and the last few years, reascended in the league hierarchy with Rodgers tumbling down in the public eye. This season though, Rodgers' rejuvenated play lands him back in the MVP race while Brees' erratic throws and juiceless arm have raised questions. Winning a game like Sunday's tilt at the Superdome would help answer that question and all of those above. It would also give the winning foursome a headstart on that next Lombardi.

The Rodgers vs. Brees storyline couldn't be more different from 2011 when these two teams squared off at Lambeau in a Week 1 thriller. Both quarterbacks played at...

By Curtis Crabtree | PFT

The New Orleans Saints were not happy with their performance Monday night against the Las Vegas Raiders. Head coach Sean Payton made the team get a jump start on their breakdown of the game before returning to New Orleans on Tuesday.

According to Jeff Duncan of TheAthletic.com, the Saints had been scheduled to depart Las Vegas on a charter flight at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning. Instead, the team had a morning review session of the loss to the Raiders before ultimately leaving town in the afternoon.

Additionally, head coach Sean Payton scrapped his weekly radio appearance on WWL.

Payton has not been pleased by the performance of the offense over the first two weeks of the season. He called their performance “average at best” after the loss to the Raiders. He was also displeased with the game that he called in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Quarterback Drew Brees said the offense is “not even close to what we are capable of.” ...

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Bob Rose | SI

The New Orleans Saints return home this Sunday, hosting the Green Bay Packers in a Week 3 matchup on Sunday Night Football. New Orleans comes into the game with a 1-1 record after their defense was taken apart by the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night. The Saints rank 8th in total defense after two weeks but have allowed opponents to convert 50% of their 3rd down chances. The Raiders pushed around the Saints for the final three quarters on Monday in a listless performance.

New Orleans takes on a 2-0 Packers team whose offense has been firing on all cylinders through the first two games. Green Bay has more total yards than any other team so far this season and has scored 42 points in both outings, best in the league. The Packers have yet to turn the ball over, and after finishing 15th in total offense last year, appear to have a better grasp of second-year coach Matt LaFleur's offensive system.

Both teams are coming off 13-3 seasons in 2019 and once again favorites in their respective divisions. We will focus on how the New Orleans defense matches up against the Green Bay offense in this potential early-season playoff preview. ...

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AP Photo/David Becker

By Brett Martel | AP

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Saints quarterback Drew Brees doesn't quibble with the notion that New Orleans' normally dynamic offense has looked somewhat out of sync to start the 2020 season.

That was arguably the case even before Michael Thomas was sidelined by an ankle injury in Week 1, and the absence of the two-time All-Pro receiver only seemed to further hamper the Saints' aerial attack during a loss in Las Vegas on Monday night.

''We're not even close to what we are capable of,'' Brees asserted. ''We're just inconsistent right now.''

Inconsistency makes it tough to sustain drives and score points. That mattered less in Week 1, when the Saints' defense came up with a pair of interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, in a victory over Tampa Bay.

But when New Orleans' defense struggled against the Raiders, the Saints offense couldn't keep up. An early 10-point lead was gone by halftime after Brees' first interception of the season led to a Raiders field goal. And by the end of the Raiders' 34-24 triumph, Las Vegas had possessed the ball for 12:36 more than New Orleans.

Full Story - Yahoo Sports