NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints have struggled this season putting together a 60-minute game, but quarterback Drew Brees, running back Mark Ingram and a suddenly opportunistic defense found a way Sunday night to put everything together and, in the process, throw cold water on red hot Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Brees completed 27 of 32 passes for 311 yards and three second-half touchdowns and Ingram rushed for a career-high 172 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown sweep in the final quarter, to power the Saints to a 44-23 victory over the Packers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

“Without question, it’s been a long time in coming,” said Brees, whose late interception last week contributed to a 24-23 loss at Detroit and dropped the Saints to 2-4. “We’ve obviously had our share of heartbreakers. All we talked about all week long was coming out here and not worrying about the scoreboard but about execution. This was a perfect representation of that.”

Considering each team’s offense, this was expected to be a shootout, and it was. The Saints (3-4) rolled up 495 yards in total offense and 28 first downs, while the Packers (5-3) gained 491 yards and 23 first downs. With both Pierre Thomas and Khiry Robinson injured, Ingram got a career-high 24 carries.

In winning their 11th consecutive game at the Superdome, the Saints scored on eight of their first nine possessions, with the only misfire coming when Ingram was stopped for no gain on a fourth-down gamble on the first series of the second half with the score tied, 16-16. Neither team punted.

“The punters didn’t get a lot of work tonight,” said Saints coach Sean Payton. “The challenge coming into this week was coming off a tough loss. The leaders on this team responded. We played a real good team, and the turnovers were in our favor.”

The victory snapped the Packers’ four-game winning streak and put a dent in a remarkable early-season run by Rodgers, who was picked off twice in the second half after having thrown 213 passes without an interception.

Rodgers threw for 418 yards on 28 of 39 passing, but both of his interceptions led to touchdowns as the Saints broke open the halftime tie with 21 consecutive points.

“Obviously, it’s a very disappointing loss for our football team,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “We had the two penalties in the red zone that were negatives. Defensively, we stopped them on the fourth down, and other than that, we didn’t make them punt. They ran it and they threw it. Not a whole lot of defensive play tonight — a lot of offense.”

When the Packers stuffed Ingram on fourth-and-2 from the Green Bay 43 on the first series of the second half — and then followed up with another trip into the Saints’ red zone — it looked as though they might be taking control.

But just as suddenly, Rodgers threw his first interception since the season opener. His slant pass for tight end Andrew Quarless was broken up by cornerback Corey White, and linebacker David Hawthorne plucked the ball out of the air and returned it to the Saints’ 12.

It took Brees just four plays to drive the Saints 88 yards for a 23-16 lead. Brees got the payoff on a deep post to Brandin Cooks, who split cornerback Tramon Williams and free safety Micah Hyde to give the Saints their first lead, 23-16.

On their next possession, the Packers gambled on fourth-and-1 from their own 40, but Hawthorne hit Eddie Lacy at the line of scrimmage and wrestled him down for no gain.

Four plays later, Brees found tight end Jimmy Graham one-on-one against Williams, and Graham used his body and 8-inch height advantage to leap high for a 22-yard scoring catch for a 30-16 lead.

When Rodgers was picked off by White on the Packers’ next possession, Brees moved the Saints 71 yards in seven plays, getting the payoff on a 2-yard toss to tight end Josh Hill, putting the Saints up 37-16.

The Saints (3-4) tied the Carolina Panthers (3-3-1) in the win column and will face the Panthers on the road for the NFC South lead on Thursday night.

What the Saints said:

“Like my grandfather says, there are three kinds of people in the world: those who make it happen, those who watch it happen and those who wake up and say, ‘What the heck happened?’ It’s about time we made it happen.” — Quarterback Drew Brees.

What the Packers said:

“I don’t think they slowed us down at all offensively. We dropped a ball that was an interception. I don’t think a whole lot of defense was played here tonight, but they got the turnovers. You win the turnover ratio, you have a good chance of winning games.” — Coach Mike McCarthy.

What we learned about the Saints:

1. Unlike last week, when New Orleans led the Detroit Lions by 13 points with five minutes left before a late collapse, the Saints showed Sunday they can protect a lead. “This was not redemption — just the next game — but it was the most important game because it was the next game,” quarterback Drew Brees said. “There is no better way to get back on track. The Green Bay Packers were playing as well as any team in the league, and we came out and played a complete team game. It was both sides of the ball. Just a great team effort.”

2. The Saints have the kind of offensive balance that could make them a formidable team in the second half of the season. Running back Mark Ingram, who missed three games earlier this year with a broken hand, exploded for a career-high 172 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. He showed speed and power. “I just try to go out there and do my best to help us win,” Ingram said. “I just want to go out there and make plays. The offensive line did a great job, and we just have to keep improving. I am always hard on myself. I always have room for improvement.”

–TE Jimmy Graham is getting healthy again. Graham hurt his right shoulder in a 37-31 overtime victory against Tampa Bay on Oct. 5, and he was mainly a decoy last week in New Orleans’ 24-23 loss to Detroit. On Sunday against Green Bay, Graham caught five passes for 59 yards — all in the second half — and leaped high for a 22-yard score over CB Tramon Williams.

–QB Drew Brees heard some uncharacteristic criticism of his own play after the loss to the Lions, but he responded with a classic game, going 27 of 32 for 311 yards and three touchdowns. He didn’t throw an interception. “Drew has set the bar so high for himself and this offense with Sean (Payton) that I really feel like the criticism is unfair,” TE Jimmy Graham said. “He’s a special player. He’s a Hall of Famer. There’s not many people who have played this game who are better.”

–WR Brandin Cooks scored twice Sunday — on a 4-yard reverse in the first quarter and on a 50-yard deep post in the third quarter. It was Cooks’ longest catch of the season, a departure from the underneath routes that he has been running. “Drew (Brees) says to trust your speed, and I understand him,” Cooks said of his quarterback. “He’s played with a lot of guys over the years, and he told me to just trust it.”

What we learned about the Packers

1. Green Bay entered the game as the second-least-penalized team in the NFL, but the Packers committed several major penalties on two trips into the red zone in the first half that turned potential touchdowns into field goals. Left tackle David Bakhtiari was called for holding on one series, and wide receiver Davante Adams was flagged for offensive pass interference on the other. The Packers also committed a delay-of-game penalty on the second red-zone attempt. “We definitely had penalties go against us in an untimely fashion,” coach Mike McCarthy said. The Packers also outfoxed themselves by throwing a slant pass to defensive end Julius Peppers, who dropped a perfect pass from Rodgers in the end zone.

2. The Packers can use the upcoming bye week, especially Aaron Rodgers. The quarterback scrambled out of the pocket midway through the third quarter for a 7-yard gain to the Saints’ 6-yard line, but he came up grimacing. Rodgers did scramble 14 yards for a final touchdown in the fourth quarter, but he was clearly hurting. “I think it’s obvious the way we played from that point on (after Rodgers tweaked his left hamstring),” McCarthy said.

–QB Aaron Rodgers threw for 418 yards on 28-of-39 passing, but he had difficulties moving after tweaking his left hamstring. “There really weren’t really a lot of options after it happened,” said Rodgers, who threw one touchdown pass and two interceptions. “I could still move around great and lead the offense. If it had been a real detriment to me hurting it more, then I would’ve asked coach (Mike McCarthy) to take me out, but I felt I could still go.” Rodgers said he would not miss any time because of the injury. The Packers have a bye this week.

–RB Eddie Lacy, a New Orleans native, made an impressive return to his hometown, rushing for 59 yards on 13 carries and catching eight passes for 123 yards. He grabbed a first-quarter screen pass and went 67 yards to set up a field goal. “It’s always great to come back home and play a game, but I wasn’t happy with the result,” Lacy said. “It’s a real long season, and we can’t let the outcome affect us for the rest of the year.”

–WR Randall Cobb, who caught five passes for 126 yards, shined with a back-shoulder reception on the right sideline that resulted in a 70-yard, catch-and-run touchdown. The Packers’ offensive line gave QB Aaron Rodgers plenty of time to spot Cobb running free.