No player is more important to his team than Aaron Rodgers is to Green Bay. But the Packers' problems, unfortunately, go beyond Rodgers.

Green Bay has cluster injury problems on the offensive line and in the secondary. The Packers are still shell shocked after losing Rodgers for the season with a broken collarbone. They played their worst game in years in losing to the Vikings this past Sunday. The Packers have their bye next week. They'll need it. They aren't ready for this week.

The Saints are playing their best ball in years winning three in a row. The Saints have defeated the Panthers, Dolphins and Lions by a combined score of 106-51 during this span. The Saints beat the Panthers and Dolphins on the road. The Saints have only lost the ball three times. So they shouldn't beat themselves here.

Drew Brees is as good as ever. His offensive line is improved and he has two good running backs and a deep group of wide receivers, who can take advantage of Green Bay's thin secondary. Green Bay lost six of seven games when it played offenses ranked 15th or better in offensive efficiency last year. And that was with Rodgters.

New Orleans has improved its defense, too. It's now to the point where it is respectable. Look for the Saints to do plenty of blitzing against Brett Hundley, set to make his first pro start. Hundley has yet to prove that he has good pocket presence.

The Packers had to finish against the Vikings with three third-stringers in their offensive line - left tackle Justin McCray, left guard Lucas Patrick and right tackle Ulrick John. McCray and John were terrible. This isnt' a question of good players having an off-game. These guys are backups who aren't nearly talented enough to be starters.