Packers @ Saints Preview - Green Bay looks to exploit New Orleans' vulnerable D

Coming off of their most dominating performance of the year--a 34-3 thumping of division rival Chicago at home--the Green Bay Packers seek their second straight win on Monday night when they travel to New Orleans. The Packers look to move above .500 for the first time since beating the Colts in week 7. Green Bay’s opponent on Monday night, the New Orleans Saints, has faced a similar struggle.

Picked by many to win the NFC South this year, the Saints have struggled to stay afloat, failing to win consecutive games through 11 weeks and sit at the bottom of the division at 5-5. New Orleans is coming off of a 30-20 victory over Kansas City last week.

One facet of the Saints that cannot be blamed for their underachieving performance thus far is the offense. New Orleans has failed to score 20 points just once this year and is averaging nearly 27 points per game overall. Packers coach Mike McCarthy is well aware of the challenges the Saints present.

“They have the ability to attack you a lot of different ways,” McCarthy said on Wednesday. “I think Drew Brees and Sean Payton are a very good match as far as the way Sean attacks a defense and Drew's ability to run the wide-open offense.”

The latter part of that statement is derived from Brees’ current status as the league leader in pass yards per game, and the fact that the Saints subsequently have the number one offense in the league in terms of yards per game overall. Even with the absence of injured running back/return man Reggie Bush, the New Orleans offense continues to thrive. Most recently, running back Pierre Thomas gave the Saints 144 yards from scrimmage, including 88 rushing yards, in the win over Kansas City.

But the Packers have some firepower of their own. Green Bay ranks just ahead of the Saints in terms of points per game, averaging just over 27 through 10 games, though it is worth noting that about six points per game are coming from the Packers defense and special teams.

Green Bay running back Ryan Grant will look to post his first back-to-back 100-yard rushing games of the year. Grant, aided by strong play of the Packers offensive line, dominated the Bears last Sunday, rushing for 145 on 25 carries in an effort reminiscent of Grant’s second half performances last year. If the Packers can control the clock with Grant running the ball, it will take a significant burden off Aaron Rodgers’ shoulders, both literally and figuratively.

Playing with a nicked-up shoulder, Rodgers has been great for the Packers this year, throwing for 15 touchdowns against 6 interceptions. His 2,351 passing yards are eighth in the league, while his 94.5 passer rating is fifth, one ahead of former Packers quarterback Brett Favre. Rodgers, now feeling healthy for the first time since week 3, will look to exploit a New Orleans defense that is giving up nearly 350 yards per game, 235 of which comes through the air. It is expected to be a shootout on Monday night, and it is a game that will most likely come down to turnover differential.