The New Orleans Saints will close out the Preseason at Lambeau Field on September 3, 2015 7pm ET. They are headed to Green Bay with an 0-3 record this year just four days after losing to the Texans, while a 1-3 Green Bay is recovering after losing a tough battle against the Eagles. The Saints have faced the Packers in exhibition games eight times and not since 2004 in Green Bay. The Packers have the edge going into their 9th preseason meeting with a 6-2 record over the Saints. The last time the two teams faced each other was during the regular season on October 26, 2014 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome where the Saints defeated the Packers 44-23.
Starters do not typically receive a lot of play time during the fourth and final preseason game, and there is no reason to expect this to be any different for the Saints tonight. 500 players across 32 teams were cut on Tuesday prior to the 4pm deadline which reduced the rosters from the 90 player maximum down to just 75 players. Although these players will not be making appearances in game 4 this week, the other 700 who will be cut this Saturday will be fighting for a last shot at their NFL dream this week. On September 5th, the Saints will have their team cut down to their final 53-man roster.
Drew Brees will not be expected to play tonight. The starting quarterback for the Saints did not appear in Game 1 of the preseason, and played only 4 series in the last two games. Against the Patriots, Brees played the first quarter and had a perfect passer rating of 158.3, going 8 of 10 for 159 yards and two TDs. Brees only played one series against the Texans where he went 4 of 6 for 40 yards, resulting in a field goal. Sean Payton has said that he has “seen enough of Brees” for the preseason.
The importance of tonight’s game to the Saints will be to fill multiple roster spots. It will be the last chance for players on the bubble to impress Sean Payton and his coaching staff. There are still two or three wide receiver spots behind Coleman, backup cornerback spots and offensive lineman spots being evaluated tonight.
