For the first time this season, the New Orleans Saints will play in a game where weather is a storyline. When your home stadium is a dome, you don’t have to worry about that much. However, when it was announced that the Saints would be traveling to Lambeau Field in late December to take on the Green Bay Packers, everyone anticipated a frosty game.
Sure enough, that’s going to be the case on Monday, and it doesn’t help that this game is at night. Currently, there’s snow in the forecast for Monday, but at the time of kickoff the skies are expected to be clear while the temperature is 33 degrees. Of course, that number will likely drop as the game carries on, and it’s also important to remember the forecast can change any moment.
Unfortunately, things are unlikely to change in New Orleans’ favor; it’s going to be cold, and that could provide a problem for the Saints. When playing in the cold, and possibly snow, it’s great to be able to lean on a strong rushing attack. However, New Orleans hasn’t been able to run the ball that well as of late, and the team will likely be without starting running back Alvin Kamara.
Saints running game needs to come to life in cold against Packers
For most of the season, the run game was a strength for New Orleans; the offense used it to open everything else up. However, in the last two weeks, it’s been tough sledding on the ground for the Saints. In Week 14 against the New York Giants, the team ran for 92 yards on 33 carries. Against the Washington Commanders in Week 15, the Saints only managed 69 yards on 16 attempts, and the bulk of that yardage came on the final drive when Washington was playing a soft defense.
It’s unclear what led to this dip in production, because the opponents weren’t elite run-stopping defenses. Whatever the issue, though, the Saints need to get it figured out fast, because they’ll need the run game on Monday. Unfortunately, the Packers are one of the better run defenses in the league. On the season, Green Bay is allowing 105 rushing yards a game, which ranks ninth in the league.
That means Monday’s primetime game could result in a lot being placed on rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler’s shoulders. You never want that for a rookie quarterback, especially not in a cold primetime game. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak will need to bring his best game to help his rookie QB out.