New Orleans Saints vs Green Bay Packers Match Player Stats (Dec 23, 2024)
The Packers didn’t just beat the Saints on December 23, 2024. They demolished them 34-0 in the NFL’s first shutout of the season, clinching a playoff berth while sending New Orleans into complete freefall. At Lambeau Field, in front of 77,885 fans witnessing history, Green Bay posted their most lopsided victory since crushing Chicago 55-14 back in 2014.
Table of Contents
Quick Game Summary – December 23, 2024
| Final Score | Packers 34, Saints 0 NFL’s First Shutout of 2024 |
| Date | December 23, 2024 (Monday Night Football) |
| Location | Lambeau Field, Green Bay |
| Attendance | 77,885 |
| Game Duration | 2 hours, 52 minutes |
| Weather | ❄️ Snow/Rain Mix |
| Packers (11-4) | ✓ Clinched Playoff Berth |
| Saints (5-10) | ✗ Eliminated from Playoffs |
Green Bay’s largest margin of victory since 2014 (55-14 vs Chicago)
Key Moments Timeline
Monday Night Football
December 23, 2024
Lambeau Field
Packers
34
vs
Saints
0
1st Quarter • 8:41
Love to Wicks – Touchdown!
Perfect 10-play opening drive sets the tone. Jordan Love finds Dontayvion Wicks for the 2-yard score.
GB 7-0
1st Quarter • Early
Saints Lose McCoy
Starting center Erik McCoy exits with elbow injury. Saints O-line now missing key protection.
2nd Quarter • Epic Drive
4th & 1 – Gutsy Call
Love sneaks for 2 yards from own 31. LaFleur showing supreme confidence.
2nd Quarter • Same Drive
4th & 2 – Dagger!
Love hits Tucker Kraft for 14 yards. Lambeau erupts. Saints defense demoralized.
2nd Quarter • 11:53
Jacobs Punches It In
17 plays. 96 yards. 8:55 of possession. Josh Jacobs caps historic drive with 6th straight TD game.
GB 14-0
2nd Quarter • 8:35
Rattler Coughs It Up
Saints QB fumbles on very next possession. Green Bay smells blood.
2nd Quarter • 6:28
Brooks’ First Career TD!
Chris Brooks celebrates Christmas early with 6-yard touchdown run. Rout is on.
GB 21-0
3rd Quarter • 7:42
McManus From 55!
Veteran kicker drills it through snow and rain. Special teams perfection continues.
GB 24-0
3rd Quarter • Mid-Quarter
Anderson’s First Pick!
Zayne Anderson celebrates first career start with huge interception. Saints’ best drive dies.
4th Quarter • 2:41
Wilson Seals History
Emanuel Wilson’s 1-yard TD completes the shutout. Packers clinch playoffs in dominant fashion.
GB 34-0
Final Score
NFL’s First Shutout of 2024
Green Bay
34
–
New Orleans
0
New Orleans Saints vs Green Bay Packers Match Player Stats
Green Bay Packers Offensive Statistics
| Player | Position | Rushing | Receiving | Passing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Josh Jacobs
|
RB | 13 att, 69 yds, 1 TD | 4 rec, 38 yds | — |
|
Jordan Love
|
QB | 1 att, 2 yds | — | 16/28, 182 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT |
| Emanuel Wilson | RB | 11 att, 52 yds, 1 TD | 1 rec, 4 yds | — |
| Chris Brooks | RB | 6 att, 23 yds, 1 TD | 1 rec, 2 yds | — |
|
Jayden Reed
|
WR | 1 att, 5 yds | 3 rec, 76 yds | — |
| Tucker Kraft | TE | 1 att, 2 yds | 3 rec, 63 yds | — |
| Dontayvion Wicks | WR | — | 3 rec, 13 yds, 1 TD | — |
| Romeo Doubs | WR | — | 2 rec, 20 yds | — |
| Malik Willis | QB | 3 att, -2 yds | — | 1/2, 34 yds |
| Brandon McManus | K | 2/2 FG (46, 55 yards), 4/4 XP | ||
New Orleans Saints Offensive Statistics
⚠️ OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES – 0 RED ZONE PLAYS
| Player | Position | Rushing | Receiving | Passing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Rattler Team Leading Rusher | QB | 5 att, 28 yds | — | 15/30, 153 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT |
| Kendre Miller | RB | 8 att, 15 yds | 2 rec, 16 yds | — |
| Jordan Mims | RB | 4 att, 16 yds | 5 rec, 16 yds | — |
| Jamaal Williams | RB | 3 att, 8 yds | — | — |
| Foster Moreau | TE | — | 2 rec, 33 yds | — |
| Dante Pettis | WR | — | 2 rec, 31 yds | — |
| Juwan Johnson | WR | — | 2 rec, 27 yds | — |
| Matthew Hayball | P | 4 punts, 39.8 yard average | ||
Team Statistics Breakdown
| Category | Saints | Packers |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 14 | 24 |
| Total Yards | 196 | 404 |
| Passing Yards | 129 | 216 |
| Rushing Yards | 67 | 188 |
| Yards per Play | 3.7 | 5.9 |
| Third Down | 4/11 (36.4%) | 6/13 (46.2%) |
| Fourth Down | 0/2 (0%) | 3/3 (100%) |
| Red Zone Visits | 0 | 4 (4 TDs) |
| Sacks By | 0 | 3 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Penalties | 7-40 | 6-60 |
| Time of Possession | 22:47 | 37:13 |
Monday Night Meltdown in the Frozen Tundra
Jordan Love needed just one drive to set the tone. Ten plays, 63 yards, 6:19 off the clock. Dontayvion Wicks hauled in a 2-yard touchdown pass on third-and-goal, and Lambeau erupted. The Saints went three-and-out on their first possession. Then their starting center Erik McCoy limped off with an elbow injury.
New Orleans was already playing without Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Taysom Hill. Losing McCoy meant Spencer Rattler would face Green Bay’s pass rush with a patchwork offensive line. The rookie quarterback never had a chance.
Matt LaFleur’s game plan was brutally simple: run the ball, control the clock, suffocate the Saints’ offense. Nine different Packers carried the ball throughout the night. Josh Jacobs led the ground assault with 69 yards and his sixth consecutive touchdown. Emanuel Wilson added 52 yards and a score. Chris Brooks punched in his first career touchdown.
“What’s really cool is we’re getting contributions from a lot of different people,” LaFleur said postgame, watching his depth chart come alive on national television.
The Drive That Broke New Orleans
Green Bay’s second-quarter masterpiece deserves its own documentary. Seventeen plays. Ninety-six yards. Eight minutes and fifty-five seconds of pure domination. The Packers faced two fourth downs during this march. They converted both.
Jordan Love’s quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1 from their own 31-yard line showed LaFleur’s confidence. Two yards gained. Drive alive. Minutes later, facing fourth-and-2 from the Saints’ 43, LaFleur called timeout. Field goal range? Punt? Neither. Love fired a dart to Tucker Kraft for 14 yards. The crowd exploded.
Josh Jacobs crossed the goal line from two yards out after that marathon drive. New Orleans had been on defense for nearly nine consecutive minutes. Players hunched over, hands on knees, gasping in the cold Wisconsin air. The game was over before halftime.
“We finally put a complete game together,” Jacobs said later. “That’s something that we’ve been hunting since the beginning of the season. It just feels like our ceiling just keeps going up.”
Rattler fumbled on the very next possession. Chris Brooks scored three plays later. Green Bay led 21-0 at halftime, outgaining New Orleans 222-81. The Saints managed just six first downs in the first half.
Defense Without Its Stars
Missing Packers Defenders:
- LB Quay Walker (102 tackles on season)
- CB Jaire Alexander (All-Pro)
- S Evan Williams
- S Javon Bullard
Green Bay’s backups played like starters. They held New Orleans to 196 total yards. Three sacks. Two turnovers. Most remarkably: the Saints never reached the red zone. Not once in 60 minutes.
Zayne Anderson’s story captured the night perfectly. First career start. Replacing an injured safety. Third quarter interception that killed New Orleans’ best drive. Next man up mentality at its finest.
“A shutout in the NFL is the hardest thing to do, and to do it on prime time is even harder,” cornerback Keisean Nixon said. “To clinch a playoff berth doing that is a hell of a deal.”
The rushing defense numbers were staggering. New Orleans gained 67 yards on 20 attempts – just 3.4 yards per carry. Spencer Rattler led his own team in rushing with 28 scramble yards. Kendre Miller managed 15 yards on eight carries. The offensive line couldn’t create any push.
Special Teams Excellence
Brandon McManus rarely gets headlines, but his perfect night mattered. Two field goals in worsening weather – 55 yards in the third quarter, 46 in the fourth. All four extra points good. December at Lambeau with snow and rain mixing? Those kicks aren’t automatic.
Green Bay dominated every phase:
- Red zone: 4-for-4, all touchdowns
- Fourth downs: 3-for-3 conversions
- Turnovers: Plus-2 margin
- Field position: Saints started average drive at their own 24
Matthew Hayball punted four times for New Orleans. He stayed busy all night.
Jacobs Joins Elite Company
Josh Jacobs’ 107 total yards (69 rushing, 38 receiving) continued his remarkable streak. Six consecutive games with a touchdown. Only Paul Hornung’s seven-game streak in 1960 stands ahead in Packers lore.
“Obviously the goal is Super Bowl,” Jordan Love explained afterward. “That’s the first step right here, to make the playoffs. Obviously this was a big-time game, to clinch that spot. I’m proud of the way we came out there and handled business.”
Love’s efficiency in harsh conditions: 16 of 28, 182 yards, one touchdown, zero turnovers. No hero ball. Just smart decisions and clock management. Exactly what Green Bay needed.
Saints Hit Rock Bottom
Darren Rizzi faced reporters after the worst loss of his interim coaching tenure. No excuses. No finger-pointing. Just reality.
“We dressed the 48 guys that we dressed. You guys know me well enough by now. I’m not going to make excuses about that. We didn’t perform well enough.”
The offensive numbers were historically bad:
- 196 total yards (season-low)
- Zero red zone plays
- 0-for-2 on fourth down
- 2 turnovers
- 3.7 yards per play
Spencer Rattler’s night: 15-for-30, 153 yards, one interception, one fumble, three sacks. Behind a crumbling offensive line that lost Lucas Patrick late, Rattler spent most of the game running for his life. His 28 rushing yards led the team – a damning indictment of the ground game.
New Orleans hadn’t been shut out since November 27, 2022 (13-0 loss to San Francisco). This was far more embarrassing. At least that 49ers team had an elite defense. The Packers were missing four defensive starters and still dominated.
Historical Context
December 23, 2024 marked several milestones:
- First NFL shutout of 2024 (Week 16)
- Green Bay’s biggest win since 2014
- Saints’ worst loss under Rizzi
- Packers clinch 5th playoff berth in 6 years
The official Pro Football Reference box score captures every statistical detail. But raw numbers don’t convey the complete dominance Green Bay displayed.
Recent history made this result surprising. New Orleans had won three of the previous five meetings between these teams. Home field advantage and health changed that narrative completely.
Injury Report’s Massive Impact
New Orleans Saints
7 Players⚠️ Inactive Before Game
-
Derek Carr QBHand
-
Alvin Kamara RBInactive
-
Chris Olave WRInactive
-
Rashid Shaheed WRInactive
-
Taysom Hill TEInactive
🚨 Injured During Game
-
Erik McCoy CElbow (Q1)
-
Lucas Patrick LGLate Exit (Q4)
Green Bay Packers
5 Players⚠️ Inactive Before Game
-
Quay Walker LBTeam Leader – 102 tackles
-
Jaire Alexander CBAll-Pro Corner
-
Evan Williams SInactive
-
Javon Bullard SInactive
🚨 Injured During Game
-
Christian Watson WRKnee (Late)
Impact: Saints missing 5 offensive starters before kickoff |
Packers’ “Next Man Up” mentality proved successful
One team had depth. The other didn’t. That’s often the difference between playoff teams and lottery picks.
Weather and Home Field
Snow mixed with rain throughout the night at Lambeau. Temperature dropped steadily. The Packers thrived in familiar conditions, rushing for 188 yards and controlling possession. The dome-accustomed Saints struggled with footing and ball security.
But weather doesn’t create a 34-0 score by itself. Green Bay would have won this game in perfect conditions. The margin might have been different. The outcome wouldn’t have changed.
The Packers covered the 14-point spread easily. Many expected a closer game despite New Orleans’ injuries. Green Bay had other ideas.
Lessons for the 2025 Season
For Green Bay:
- Depth matters – Backups stepped up when starters went down
- Ground game travels – 188 rushing yards in December wins games
- Red zone efficiency – 4-for-4 with TDs shows elite execution
- Defense wins championships – Shutout with four starters missing proves system works
For New Orleans:
- Quarterback questions persist – Rattler showed he’s not ready
- Offensive line needs overhaul – Couldn’t protect or run block
- Depth must improve – Injuries exposed paper-thin roster
- Identity unclear – What does this team want to be?
League-Wide Takeaways:
- Home field in December matters more than ever
- Teams built for domes struggle in outdoor elements
- Offensive line depth can make or break seasons
- Fourth-down aggression wins games
The Playoff Picture
Green Bay entered Week 16 needing help or a win to clinch. They didn’t wait for help. The victory secured their wild card spot after being eliminated from the NFC North race the previous day. Nine wins in their last 11 games built serious momentum.
New Orleans needed miracles – win out while Tampa Bay and Atlanta lost out. The loss made those scenarios moot. At 5-10, the Saints turned attention to draft position and coaching searches.
For broader statistical context, the complete ESPN game center provides drive charts and advanced metrics from this historic night.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the final score of Saints vs Packers on December 23, 2024?
Green Bay crushed New Orleans 34-0 at Lambeau Field. The game lasted 2 hours and 52 minutes with 77,885 fans witnessing the NFL’s first shutout of the 2024 season.
Which players had standout performances?
Josh Jacobs dominated with 107 total yards and his sixth straight touchdown. Jayden Reed led receivers with 76 yards. Brandon McManus went perfect on field goals. For New Orleans, Spencer Rattler struggled mightily, completing just 15 of 30 passes while leading the team with 28 rushing yards.
How many starters were the Saints missing?
New Orleans played without five offensive starters: Derek Carr (hand), Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Taysom Hill. They lost center Erik McCoy (elbow) in the first quarter and guard Lucas Patrick late.
What made this shutout historically significant?
This marked the NFL’s first shutout of the 2024 season in Week 16. Green Bay’s 34-point margin of victory was their largest since beating Chicago 55-14 in 2014. The Saints hadn’t been shut out since losing 13-0 to San Francisco in 2022.
How did weather conditions impact the game?
A mix of snow and rain created challenging conditions at Lambeau Field. The Packers thrived, rushing for 188 yards and controlling the ball. The dome-accustomed Saints managed just 67 rushing yards and turned the ball over twice.
What were the playoff implications?
Green Bay clinched a playoff berth, improving to 11-4. They entered as a wild card after losing the division to Detroit. New Orleans fell to 5-10 and was mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.
Did the Packers cover the betting spread?
Yes. Green Bay was favored by 14 points and won by 34, easily covering the spread in a game many expected to be closer despite the Saints’ injuries.
What lessons can both teams take into 2025?
Green Bay proved their depth and system work – they can win multiple ways. New Orleans learned they need major improvements at quarterback, offensive line, and overall roster depth to compete.
Final Analysis
The New Orleans Saints vs Green Bay Packers match player stats from December 23, 2024 reveal complete domination. One team executed perfectly in all phases. The other couldn’t execute at all.
Looking back at the Saints’ earlier struggles against Atlanta, warning signs existed. But nobody predicted a 34-0 embarrassment on national television.
For those wanting to see how the Saints bounced back, their next matchup against Carolina provided some redemption. But the damage from Lambeau Field lingered.
As training camps open for 2025, both franchises head different directions. Green Bay builds on playoff success. New Orleans rebuilds from the ground up. That frozen December night in Wisconsin marked the fork in the road.
