The game could not have started any better for the Packers. Green Bay had three drives in the first quarter and scored a touchdown on every single one in the first quarter. Green Bay traveled 76 yards in nine plays and would end with a Greg Jennings touchdown to put the first points on the board in 2011. Jordy Nelson had two catches on the drive for 42 yards, including a 36-yard reception down to the New Orleans 13. Three plays later, Rodgers threw it to Jennings for the score. Then, on the following possession, Brees found Marques Colston for a first down on 2nd-and-7, but the Saints wide receiver would fumble and Tramon Williams would recover at the New Orleans 36. Six plays later, the Packers would punch it in again. This time, it would be Nelson with the score. Aaron Rodgers was 5-for-5 on the drive for 31 yards and the touchdown. This was the second straight possession that Green Bay would score on a third down play.
Facing a 3rd-and-6 and trying to avoid a three-and-out, Brees found Darren Sproles over the middle for 36 yards into Packers territory. The third play following the third down conversion, Brees found Robert Meachem on a post pattern for 31 yards to put the Saints on the board. But the Packers would come right back. Rodgers found Jermichael Finley over the middle for an 18-yard gain on 3rd-and-2 down to the 32. On the next play after that, Rodgers found rookie Randall Cobb over the middle at the 25 and he broke free for the 32-yard touchdown to give Green Bay a 21-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
After the Saints answered with a field goal, the New Orleans defense forced a three-and-out by the Packers offense and Green Bay had to kick it to Sproles. The Tim Masthay punt carried Sproles back to the New Orleans 28, and the Saints return man found room up the middle and veered to the left sideline and he outran Masthay to the end zone for the touchdown to cut it to 21-17.
The Packers needed an answer and Green Bay got one, with a long drive right before the half ended. Rodgers would throw for 39 yards of the 80 on the drive, but it would be James Starks who would score. The Green and Gold would convert three third downs on the drive and Starks would blast his way through a hole for the 17-yard score to give the Packers the 28-17 lead and it would stay that way the rest of the half.
New Orleans would pick up a field goal on its first drive of the second half, but the Packers would respond with six. Cobb would have a great debut with the team. On this kickoff, the rookie would take the ball eight yards deep in his own end zone. Cobb would make his way up the field across the 20. He spun off a tackler and maintained his balance and found nothing but green in front of him. He ran down the left sideline for the 108-yard touchdown to give the Packers the 35-20 lead with 8:26 left in the third.
But the Saints would not go away, starting with a 57-yard kickoff return by Sproles to the Packers 46. Three plays later, Brees found an open Devery Henderson down the left sideline for a 29-yard touchdown. Henderson beat Sam Shields on the play and the Saints cut it to 35-27. New Orleans tried to cut it even further on the next drive following a Packers punt. The punt was returned by Sproles to the Green Bay 49. Four plays later, the Saints were faced with a 4th-and-1 from the Packers 7. Knowing that kicking field goals would not beat Green Bay, the Saints went for it. Brees went back to pass and was under pressure almost immediately. He kept going backward and had to throw a pass significantly short of the first down to Pierre Thomas. The pass was low and was not caught, so the Packers took over at their own 7.
Green Bay would make New Orleans pay for not taking the points, as the Green and Gold would go on a 12-play drive to give the Packers a 42-27 lead. On the 93-yard drive, Rodgers was 6-for-6 on the drive 77 yards, but it would be John Kuhn getting in the end zone on 3rd-and-Goal from the 1. Rodgers would throw for 312 yards and three touchdowns on the night.
With how potent the Packers offense was, I think many people thought the game was over after Brees was sacked on third down to force a three-and-out and a New Orleans punt. When the Saints got the football back, they had to score 15 points in less than six minutes. Brees and the Saints converted three third downs on their way to cutting the deficit to 42-34. Brees accounted for all 76 of the New Orleans yards on the drive. He passed for 73 yards, including the 5-yard touchdown to Graham. He also had a run of three. The score happened with 2:15 to play in the game.
New Orleans tried an onside kick, but the Packers recovered. Three plays and out for the Green and Gold and Green Bay had to kick it to the Saints. The punt almost was downed at the 1, but Jarrett Bush’s foot was in the end zone and New Orleans started at the 20 with 1:08 left and no timeouts. Brees would throw completions on his first five passes of the drive. The five passes were to four different receivers and accounted for 71 yards, and the Saints faced a 3rd-and-1 from the Packers 9 with three seconds left. Brees threw it over the middle to Sproles, but A.J. Hawk came over the top of the speedy running back to knock it away with no time left. However, the officials called Hawk for pass interference. That would mean the Saints would have one untimed down from the 1-yard line, down by eight. But on the biggest play of the game, New Orleans would not put the ball in the hands of their best player. Instead, Brees gave it off to Ingram and he was stuffed by Clay Matthews and the Packers won 42-34.
It was the first of 13 straight wins to start the season for the Packers, but both teams would lose in the Divisional Round. Green Bay would lose to the Giants, while New Orleans would lose a shootout in San Francisco.
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