Drew Brees' offense was unstoppable in the second half, scoring on four consecutive possessions to spoil Brett Hundley's Lambeau Field starting debut. Here's what we learned in the New Orleans Saints' 26-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers in Week 7:
- The initial fallout from Aaron Rodgers' glaring absence will inspire little hope in Title Town. Even with the benefit of Green Bay's strongest rushing attack of the season, Hundley failed to move the chains through the air. Overreliant on penalties and Hundley's third-down scrambling ability, the passing game lacked any semblance of rhythm. The former UCLA star managed to connect with his top three receivers and No. 1 tight end just seven times for a meager 57 combined yards as the Packers were outgained by a whopping 225 yards on the afternoon. Entering the bye week, coach Mike McCarthy will have to head back to the drawing board, finding a way to simplify Hundley's reads and get the ball out of his hands more quickly.
- While Hundley struggled in his NFL starting debut, the Saints had the decided advantage of a seasoned quarterback boasting nearly 70,000 passing yards and a stockpile of experiences in close games. Bouncing back from a pair of first-quarter interceptions in scoring territory, Brees directed a balanced attack that put the ball in the hands of open-field playmakers Ted Ginn and Alvin Kamara. Bolstered by Sean Payton's creative play-calling, Brees kept the Packers' defense guessing over the final three quarters. Folding under a pass rush that has been toothless since Mike Daniels wrecked Seattle's offensive line in the season opener, Green Bay hemorrhaged a season-high 485 yards on defense.
- When rookie Aaron Jones cleared the 100-yard mark in his first career start two weeks ago, we surmised that he was destined to eat into Ty Montgomery's workload because he's simply too good to keep off the field. Jones officially unseated Montgomery versus New Orleans, starting the game and scampering for a Packers season-long 46-yard touchdown on the opening possession. Compensating for a broken aerial attack, Jones exploded for 131 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, leading Green Bay to a season-high 181 yards on the ground. The difference in play speed between the two backs is obvious. Jones is the better runner -- and not by a little.
- The missing pass rush and suspect secondary play have overshadowed a second-year breakout campaign from Packers inside linebacker Blake Martinez, who racked up 13 solo tackles on Sunday. Martinez has played at a Pro Bowl level this season, attacking the line of scrimmage and consistently stuffing runners for little to no gain.
- Riding a four-game winning streak and a drastically improved defense, the Saints suddenly find themselves all alone in first place in the NFC South pending the outcome of Sunday night's Super Bowl rematch between the Falcons and Patriots. They will play host next week to a Bears outfit sporting a stingy defense of their own while controlling time of possession during Chicago's two-game groove.
