A dominant performance in the second half from the New Orleans Saints guided them to a 44-23 victory over the Green Bay Packers to secure their third win of the season.
The Packers took the lead in the first quarter when Aaron Rodgers found Randall Cobb on a deep play and the receiver ran all the way into the endzone for a 70-yard touchdown.
New Orleans responded and managed to level the scores on their next possession when Drew Brees engineered a drive, which culminated in Brandin Cooks running in for a four-yard score.
At the end of the first quarter both defenses tightened and forced the field-goal kickers into action as Mason Crosby and Shayne Graham exchanged 31-yard efforts.
The duo were in action again in the second quarter when Crosby nailed a 49-yarder through the posts, while Packers made a crucial stop in the redzone to deny the home side a touchdown and force Graham into a 29-yard effort.
Just before the break, Crosby fired the Packers ahead with a kick from 27 yards, but with the seconds left on the clock Graham hauled his side level.
In the second half, Rodgers moved his side down the field but on a run play he sustained a hamstring injury, which affected his throwing as he threw a costly interception to David Hawthorne in the redzone.
Brees made Rodgers pay for his mistake when he drove his side seamlessly downfield, and then hit Cooks for a deep play down the middle for a 50-yard touchdown to fire his side into the lead.
The Saints began to dominate the game and they pushed further ahead when Brees lofted the ball into the endzone, and Jimmy Graham went above Tramon Williams to make the grab for a 22-yard score.
New Orleans sealed the victory early in the fourth quarter when Brees faked the handoff to Mark Ingram on the goalline and hit Josh Hill at the back of the endzone for a two-yard touchdown.
Rodgers tried to bring the Packers back into the game with a running score late on as he ran right down the middle of the field untouched for a 14-yard touchdown. However, Ingram ensured the Saints' victory when he coasted down the field for a 21-yard score.
