Live Updates: Packers vs. Saints in NFL Preseason

The Green Bay Packers are hosting the New Orleans Saints in an NFL preseason game at Lambeau Field on Friday night. Follow along all night for updates.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – After two days of joint practices, the Green Bay Packers are hosting the New Orleans Saints on Friday night at Lambeau Field. Follow along all night for updates.

Final Score

Packers 20, Saints 10

The scrambling ability of Saints quarterback Ian Book gave them a chance to make a game of it. Book started the drive with a 27-yard run – a missed tackle by Ty Summers part of the play. However, after driving to a first-and-goal at the 7, the drive stalled. Cornerback Kiondre Thomas had excellent coverage on two plays, offensive pass interference wiped out a touchdown and a 35-yard field goal was no good with 1:32 remaining.

Quarterback Danny Etling took a couple knees to run out the clock.

Packers 20, Saints 10 (8:20 remaining)

Danny Etling had an 86-yard touchdown run while with New England. And he had a 51-yarder to perhaps put this game away. It was a third-and-1 read-option, with Etling pulling the ball out of the belly of the running back and taking off around right end. Nobody on the Saints seemed to notice until it was too late, with Etling beating linebacker Nephi Sewell to the end zone.

Packers 13, Saints 10 (11:14 remaining)

The Packers got a little something going, with receiver Ishmael Hyman gaining 11 on an end-around and tight end Sal Cannella breaking two tackles for a gain of 13. However, two runs by Tyler Goodson went nowhere and Jordan Love’s pass to Amari Rodgers was broken up.

End Third Quarter

Packers 13, Saints 10

Jordan Love remains in at quarterback as the final period begins. In the third quarter, he was 2-of-6 passing for 7 yards, though Samori Toure and Amari Rodgers dropped passes. Rich Bisaccia’s punt-return unit had 12 players on the field for one snap and 10 for another.

Third Quarter

Packers 13, Saints 10 (7:07 remaining)

The star of this game has been Saints punter Blake Gillikin. He had an 80-yard punt to start the second half and a 65-yard punt midway through the third quarter. Holding by Kingsley Enagbare on the return forced the Packers to start the drive at their 2.

Packers 13, Saints 3 (11:12 remaining)

Jordan Love started the second half at quarterback. He completed one pass to new tight end Nate Becker for a gain of 2 but wasn’t on the same page with Juwann Winfree on a back-shoulder attempt on third-and-8.

Second Quarter

Packers 13, Saints 10 (12 seconds remaining)

The Saints took advantage of Tyler Davis’ fumble to score late in the half. They somehow got first-round receiver Chris Olave matched against outside linebacker Tipa Galeai for a 20-yard touchdown. Perhaps safety Shawn Davis should have been over the top to help.

Packers 13, Saints 3 (40 seconds remaining)

Tyler Davis’ nightmarish preseason continued. A week after his drop turned into an interception, his catch and fumble at the 37 has put the Saints in scoring position late in the half.

Packers 13, Saints 3 (54 seconds remaining)

With the Saints driving, Micah Abernathy made a fantastic interception at the sideline. Abernathy entered the game after Vernon Scott suffered a shoulder injury earlier in the drive. The Packers have been hammered by injuries at safety. Darnell Savage has been out two weeks with a hamstring injury, with Scott taking his place in the starting lineup. Dallin Leavitt, Innis Gaines and Tariq Carpenter are also out with injuries. Abernathy signed last week.

Packers 13, Saints 3 (2:35 remaining)

Ramiz Ahmed booted a 45-yard field goal. The score was created by Shawn Davis’ fumble return and nothing the offense did. Jordan Love threw incomplete to a well-covered Juwann Winfree on second down and misfired to Amari Rodgers on third down.

Packers 10, Saints 3 (3:22 remaining)

The Saints were on the move, with Ian Book converting a couple of third-and-longs, until Book botched the snap. The ball bounced around like a hot potato until safety Shawn Davis picked up the loose ball and returned it 37 yards to the Saints’ 32.

Packers 10, Saints 3 (8:04 remaining)

Jordan Love’s 4-yard touchdown pass was the payoff on an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. Undrafted running back Tyler Goodson stated his case for being the No. 3 back. He had back-to-back runs for 9 yards, a 10-yard catch and a 15-yard run to the 4 to set up the score. Royce Newman, who started at right tackle, moved to right guard for the drive and had two big-time blocks to create cutback opportunities for Goodson. Juwann Winfree had a 21-yard catch on a well-placed pass by Love, as well. The score came on a fade, with Doubs making a leaping catch against unsuspecting cornerback Brian Allen.

First Quarter

Packers 3, Saints 3 (0:00 remaining)

Will Lutz took out his driver and made a 59-yard field goal on the final play of the quarter. The big play came on the kickoff following a Packers field goal, with Kirk Merritt returning the kickoff 59 yards to Green Bay’s 43. He broke one tackle at about the 30 before finally being brought down by kicker Ramiz Ahmed. Holding on the first play moved the Saints back and helped the Packers limit the damage.

Packers 3, Saints 0 (2:20 remaining)

Ramiz Ahmed made a 25-yard field goal to get the Packers on the board. Jordan Love had completions of 15 yards to Juwann Winfree on third-and-4, 17 yards to Romeo Doubs at the sideline and 11 yards to Josiah Deguara on a boot. However, the drive stalled. Love led Deguara too ar on another boot and had nowhere to go on third-and-goal.

Packers 0, Saints 0 (9:24 remaining)

The Saints gained a couple first downs, including on a disputed pass interference call against Shemar Jean-Charles on third-and-5. But defensive tackle Jack Heflin drew a holding and linebacker Isaiah McDuffie smothered a third-and-12 scramble.

Packers 0, Saints 0 (12:54 remaining)

After Jordan Love scrambled for a first down, the Packers faced a third-and-3. Love went deep to Romeo Doubs, who made a late adjustment and had the ball go right through his hands.

Packers Inactives

Thirty players are inactive for the Packers. The massive list:

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers

Running back: AJ Dillon, Kylin Hill, Aaron Jones

Receiver: Christian Watson, Sammy Watkins, Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Danny Davis

Tight end: Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis

Offensive line: Rasheed Walker, David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins

Defensive tackle: Jarran Reed, Dean Lowry, Kenny Clark, Akial Byers

Outside linebacker: Rashan Gary, Preston Smith

Inside linebacker: De'Vondre Campbell

Cornerback: Eric Stokes, Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas

Safety: Dallin Leavitt, Tariq Carpenter, Darnell Savage, Adrian Amos, Innis Gaines

Special teams: Mason Crosby

David Bakhtiari goes through a pregame warmup. (USA Today Sports Images)

Quay Walker Starting Again

Other than what constitutes the No. 1 offensive line, most of the team’s starters are inactive tonight. One exception, like last week at San Francisco, is rookie linebacker Quay Walker.

“Every day is a new day but you can see the more we get into this that the light starts to come on,” defensive coordinator Joe Barry said this week. “Even though he’s an incredibly talented kid, he has unbelievable physical gifts, he’s still a guy that’s learning a new language right now but incredibly talented. I think it’s so great for a guy like D-Wyatt to come in and be around a Kenny Clark. It’s so great for Tariq (Carpenter) to come in and have (Darnell) Savage and Smash (Adrian Amos).

“It’s incredible for a guy like Quay to be able to sit in a meeting with De’Vondre Campbell. That veteran leadership, not only are those guys great players, they’re great guys. And they have just such a wealth of knowledge that they’re willing to share and help and bring along. And I think that’s been great just for the daily development of Quay. It’s been awesome.”

Some Pregame Notes

- The No. 1 offensive line, from left to right, will be Yosh Nijman, Jon Runyan, Josh Myers, Jake Hanson and Royce Newman.

- Kicker Ramiz Ahmed made a 55-yard field goal to the south end with plenty of room to spare.

- Receiver Christian Watson is in uniform and fielding punts. Considering he hasn’t done a full practice, he is unlikely to play.

- Cornerback Rico Gafford, who didn’t practice on Wednesday due to an ankle injury, is in uniform, too, and appears ready to go.

- Claimed off waivers this week, new receiver Travis Fulgham is wearing No. 86. With Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Sammy Watkins, Danny Davis (ankle) and Watson unlikely to play, Fulgham figures to see plenty of action.

Packers-Saints: How to Watch

Here is how to watch and listen to the Packers-Saints preseason game.

Live TV: The game will air live only on the Packers TV Network, with Kevin Harlan and John Kuhn on the call. The network consists of WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee; WGBA-TV, Green Bay; WQOW/ABC, Eau Claire, Wis.; WXOW/ABC, La Crosse, Wis.; WKOW/ABC, Madison, Wis.; WAOW/ABC, Wausau, Wis.; KQDS/FOX, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis.; WLUC-NBC/FOX UP, Escanaba/Marquette, Mich.; WMBD/CBS, Peoria/Bloomington, Ill.; KCCI/CBS, Des Moines, Iowa; KWWL/NBC, Cedar Rapids/Waterloo, Iowa; KTVI/FOX, St. Louis, Mo.; KETV/ABC, Omaha, Neb.; KNDB/BEK, Bismarck, N.D.; KRDK/BEK, Fargo, N.D.; KNDM/BEK, Minot, N.D.; KDLT/NBC, Sioux Falls, S.D.; KYUR/ABC, Anchorage, Alaska; KATN/ABC, Fairbanks, Alaska and KJUD/ABC, Juneau, Alaska.

NFL Network: While next week’s game at Kansas City will be aired live by NFL Network, this game will not be televised live nationally. NFL Network will show it on tape at midnight and 10 a.m. Saturday, though.

Radio: The call of Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren can be heard on the Packers Radio Network. There’s a new flagship station, with WRNW-FM 97.3 in Milwaukee replacing WTMJ. Click here for the list of affiliates.

Big Packers Roster Battles

There are roster battles being waged at every position other than quarterback. Aaron Rodgers will spend another Friday watching Jordan Love and Danny Etling operate the offense.

“I’ve been really pleased with Jordan,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. “It’s his command in the huddle, his command with the groups he’s in. He’s taken charge. You really see him taking the next step, so that’s been impressive. He just looks much more confident in the pocket. You can tell he’s understanding everything. Instead of just, ‘What’s my job?’ now he’s thinking about what the defense is doing. He’s doing a really good job. It’s fun to see him have success on those long passes but I’m fired up for him.”

Here is a look at the other position groups.

Running Backs

Patrick Taylor (USA Today Sports Images)

Friday Night Spotlight: Assuming Kylin Hill isn’t ready for Week 1, who will be the third back behind Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. Will it be Patrick Taylor, the second-year player who isn’t flashy but has an all-around skill-set? Or will it be undrafted rookie Tyler Goodson, who has the explosive second year?

Gutekunst delivered a strong hint on Thursday when asked. “I think the next guy, obviously, there’s some special teams that come into play with that. That’s going to be an important part of that third running back spot if we decide to keep three. But then I think overall there’s consistency. If we do have an injury, can they fill one of the roles that those other two guys are in right now? As you guys know, the big jump from college to the National Football League is usually in pass pro for these guys. They just haven’t been exposed to a lot of that, and being able to protect our passer is first and foremost.”

In other words, it’s Taylor’s job to lose.

Receivers

Samori Toure (USA Today Sports Images)

Friday Night Spotlight: Assuming veterans Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Sammy Watkins, second-year pro Amari Rodgers and draft picks Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are locks, will that be the Week 1 receiver corps or is there room for Gutekunst to keep a seventh? It will be up to Juwann Winfree or Samori Toure to really force their way onto the roster. Special teams will play a role in that decision, which would give the edge to Winfree. But Toure has been the more productive receiver.

Tight Ends

Alize Mack (USA Today Sports Images)

Friday Night Spotlight: With the return of Robert Tonyan and the release of Dominique Dafney, the Packers have a four-man group of Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis. Is there room for another? If anyone is going to push his way onto the roster, it might be Alize Mack. A seventh-round pick in 2019 who hasn’t played a regular-season snap, Mack has blocked well and caught the ball when thrown his way.

Offensive Line

Jake Hanson (USA Today Sports Images)

Friday Night Spotlight: Team-wide, there aren’t many starting positions open but both guard spots could be up for grabs. Last season, Jon Runyan started 16 games at left guard and Royce Newman started 16 games at right guard. However, rookie Zach Tom has received some first-team snaps at left guard and Jake Hanson remains in the mix at right guard.

“Jake has had one of the best camps of anyone on our offense just from taking that next step,” Stenavich said. “I think his first year, his hip was banged up and he just didn’t look right. He got his hip fixed and then has come back and he looks like a brand-new guy. He’s playing with physicality, he’s intelligent, he has the ability to center. I’m excited about him.”

Defensive Line

Jack Heflin (USA Today Sports Images)

Friday Night Spotlight: There’s no doubt about the top five of Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Jarran Reed, T.J. Slaton and Devonte Wyatt. If it’s not the best defensive line in football, it’s right up there. Will the Packers keep six? If so, it will be a three-man battle between second-year player Jack Heflin, journeyman Chris Slayton and seventh-round pick Jonathan Ford.

“You’ve just got to go,” Heflin said. “Being an underrecruited guy, a walk-on, just being undrafted, you have no choice. That’s what it’s been my whole life. I’ve had no choice. There’s no plays off. If you’re throwing me out there, I’m going to go until I can’t go no more. I like to say I’m like a good dog. If you tell me to sic ‘em, I’m going to sic ‘em even I’m not 100 percent. That’s how I look at it.”

Outside Linebackers

Jonathan Garvin (USA Today Sports Images)

Friday Night Spotlight: A huge battle is brewing to be the third, fourth and fifth outside linebackers on the roster. Combined, Rashan Gary and Preston Smith weren’t on the field for almost 800 snaps last season. That’s a lot of playing time up for grabs between returning players Jonathan Garvin and Tipa Galeai and newcomers Kingsley Enagbare and Kobe Jones.

“I think the thing that you love about training camp, hopefully, is competition,” defensive coordinator Joe Barry said. “Of course, we’ve got two great ones in Preston and Rashan, but after that, it’s competitive.”

Inside Linebackers

Ray Wilborn (USA Today Sports Images)

Friday Night Spotlight: While everything is up for grabs behind Gary and Smith at outside linebacker, the depth behind starters De’Vondre Campbell and Quay Walker seems fairly certain with two-year starter Krys Barnes and the vastly improved Isaiah McDuffie providing competent backups. Can Ray Wilborn force his way onto the roster through production on defense and special teams?

Cornerbacks

Keisean Nixon (USA Today Sports Images)

Friday Night Spotlight: With Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes and Rasul Douglas, Green Bay’s starting trio is elite. On the other hand, whether it’s the fourth corner or the last man on the depth chart, the depth is a major question mark. Free-agent addition Keisean Nixon and 2021 fifth-round pick Shemar Jean-Charles are joined by Rico Gafford and Kiondre Thomas. For now, it’s Nixon vs. Jean-Charles for No. 4 and Gafford vs. Thomas for No. 6.

While Gutekunst had a parade of corners going in and out of camp all summer, he’s stuck with this group.

“I think between the San Francisco game and then these two practices and then tomorrow’s night’s game, I think it’s a pretty good window of evaluation and competition,” Gutekunst said. “They’ve done a nice job. Certainly, Sherm has grown a lot, which is nice to see. Got a couple new guys in there that I think are feeling their way around here, but I like them. They’re all a little shorter than what I’m used to, but I like they’re aggressiveness and the way they play.”

Safeties

Vernon Scott (USA Today Sports Images)

Friday Night Spotlight: Safety was like cornerback at the start of training camp, with everything up for grabs behind the starters. However, Vernon Scott and Shawn Davis have had strong training camps. Scott remains ahead in the battle to be the next man up but Davis’ big-play production is hard to ignore. They’ll get a lot of snaps against the Saints.

Specialists

Jack Coco (USA Today Sports Images)

Friday Night Spotlight: Jack Coco remains the only long snapper on the roster. That doesn’t mean he’s won the job but it beats the alternative. What’s working in his favor is there are only a few teams with two snappers on their roster, so it’s not as if the market is going to be flooded after final cuts on Aug. 30.

“I think Jack’s done a nice job for us so far,” Gutekunst said. “By the time we kick off that first Sunday and as we go through the season, I think if that’s not where we want it to be then we’ll be looking for that. And there’s always guys available, so right now we feel pretty good about where we’re at, but if we can upgrade and get better, we will.”

How to Watch Saints at Packers

Tyler Goodson takes the handoff at practice (USA Today Sports Image)

Here is how to watch and listen to the Packers-Saints preseason game.

Live TV: The game will air on the Packers TV Network, with Kevin Harlan and John Kuhn on the call. The network consists of WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee; WGBA-TV, Green Bay; WQOW/ABC, Eau Claire, Wis.; WXOW/ABC, La Crosse, Wis.; WKOW/ABC, Madison, Wis.; WAOW/ABC, Wausau, Wis.; KQDS/FOX, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis.; WLUC-NBC/FOX UP, Escanaba/Marquette, Mich.; WMBD/CBS, Peoria/Bloomington, Ill.; KCCI/CBS, Des Moines, Iowa; KWWL/NBC, Cedar Rapids/Waterloo, Iowa; KTVI/FOX, St. Louis, Mo.; KETV/ABC, Omaha, Neb.; KNDB/BEK, Bismarck, N.D.; KRDK/BEK, Fargo, N.D.; KNDM/BEK, Minot, N.D.; KDLT/NBC, Sioux Falls, S.D.; KYUR/ABC, Anchorage, Alaska; KATN/ABC, Fairbanks, Alaska and KJUD/ABC, Juneau, Alaska.

NFL Network: While next week’s game at Kansas City will be aired live by NFL Network, this game will not be televised live nationally. NFL Network will show it on tape at midnight and 10 a.m. Saturday, though.

Radio: The call of Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren can be heard on the Packers Radio Network. There’s a new flagship station, with WRNW-FM 97.3 in Milwaukee replacing WTMJ. Click here for the list of affiliates.