The Green Bay Packers turned back the clock Sunday afternoon, played the kind of football that would have made Clarke Hinkle and Curly Lambeau proud and defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 16-10.
Green Bay piled up 261 rushing yards, including a remarkable 237 in the first half. The Packers also averaged 5.1 yards per carry.
Quarterback Malik Willis excelled as a game manager, Green Bay’s defense was terrific and coach Matt LaFleur designed an impressive game plan without Love.
The Packers improved to 1-1, while the Colts fell to 0-2.
“Fifty three rushes, that's what we wanted to do coming into this game,” LaFleur said. “It's one thing to want to do that, but to be able to go out there and execute that, I think that says a lot about really just all 11 out there, starting with the offensive line.
“But our backs were running hard, our receivers were blocking their butts off like they always do and I don't think you guys can appreciate or even comprehend the task that Malik Willis — I mean, this guy got here three weeks ago and for him to be able to go out there and command our offense. Just super proud of him.”
Historic Ground Game
Green Bay ran for 237 yards on 34 carries (7.0 avg.) in the first half, the first time dating back to 1978 that it rushed for 200-plus yards in either half (per the Elias Sports Bureau). The 237 yards were the third most in a first half by an NFL team since 2000, trailing only Jacksonville (251 yards on Dec. 10, 2006) and Carolina (240 yards on Dec. 24, 2022).
The Packers rushed for 164 yards on 20 carries (8.2) in the first quarter, the most by Green Bay in any quarter since it rushed for 166 yards in the third quarter at the St. Louis Cardinals on Sept. 29, 1985 (Elias Sports Bureau). The last NFL team to rush for that many yards in the first quarter of a game was the Denver Broncos (167 yards on Dec. 18, 2011).
Green Bay also posted eight explosive runs (12-plus yards) in the first half, the most by an NFL team in a first half since New England recorded eight vs. Buffalo on Dec. 23, 2018. The Packers’ nine explosive runs on the game were their most in the LaFleur-era.
“I think the big boys did a great job, no doubt,” Willis said. “Almost 250 yards in the first half, that’s insane. They just made it easy on us and just made me have to go out and be really efficient more than go out and have to win it myself.”
Offensive Line
Knowing Love was unlikely to play, LaFleur went to the Packers’ offensive linemen early last week and put the game on their shoulders.
That unit consisting of Rasheed Walker, Elgton Jenkins, Myers, Sean Rhyan and Zach Tom was certainly up to the challenge.
“As an offensive line coming in, we knew we were going to run the ball 50-plus times,” Myers said. “(Coach) Matt (LaFleur) challenged us very early on in the week. He challenged our group and said it was going to go through us and I feel like we answered that challenge and had a solid day, man. That was some grimy football right there. That was a lot of fun.”
Tight end Tucker Kraft was also terrific in the run game, while guard Jordan Morgan — who shares time with Rhyan — was solid before suffering a second quarter shoulder injury.
“The whole week, the emphasis was this is a game about the O-line,” Morgan said. “If we win this game it’s because of the O-line. We won in the trenches, the defensive line won in the trenches and we emphasized running the ball the whole week. So, we’ve just got to have that mindset of being a dog, being nasty in the trenches and open holes for Josh Jacobs or Marshawn Lloyd or whoever’s in there. And that’s what we did”
Josh Jacobs
The Packers gave Jacobs a big free agent deal this offseason to lead their running game. And the Packers got their money’s worth — and then some — on Sunday.
Jacobs finished with 32 carries for 151 yards on a day the Packers dominated with their sensational ground game.
Just once in his six-year career has Jacobs had more carries in a game.
“This is one of those games where as a team you feel good because you know what you’re capable of,” Jacobs said. “You can see what you’re capable of. Obviously, without our leader, it would make things a lot easier, but to be able to still rally around each other and come out with a win, it definitely feels good.”
Malik Willis
The Packers didn’t ask quarterback Malik Willis to do too much. Willis, acquired in a trade just 20 days ago, largely handed the ball off, threw several short and intermediate passes and was largely a caretaker for the offense.
But Willis handled those responsibilities perfectly.
Willis completed 12-of-14 passes for 122 yards and threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks. Willis also had six carries for 41 yards and didn't throw an interception.
“We’re all proud of him,” Wicks said. “He came out and balled. He did what we expected him to do. We had a lot of practice. I’m glad for him. He’s been here only three weeks. Good play-calling, good plays, smart plays. He came through for us.”
Prior to Sunday, Willis had a career passer rating of 48.7. On Sunday, his passer rating was 126.8.
Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur made things as simple as possible for Willis — who was making just his fourth career start — and the young quarterback delivered.
“The last opportunity I got to start a game was my rookie year,” Willis said. “I wasn’t where I wanted to be as far as the offense went, or just where I was playing NFL football as a rookie. You don’t control that. This is a results-based business. That’s just what it is. I just continued to try to work until I got another opportunity and it just so happened it came this week.”
First Quarter Domination
The Packers dominated the first quarter in an absolutely stunning fashion.
Green Bay had 178 total yards to 33 for the Colts. The Packers had 164 rushing yards — more than any NFL team in one quarter since Denver had 167 in 2011 — on 20 carries, an average of 8.2 yards per pop.
And Green Bay held the ball for 13 minutes, 17 seconds while the Colts had it for just 1:43.
First Half Dominance
The Packers held a 262-80 advantage in total yards in the first half. Green Bay had 34 rushing attempts for a remarkable 237 yards, an average of 7.0 yards per attempts.
The Packers had 14 first downs to five for the Colts. And Green Bay had 39 plays and held the ball for 23:05, while Indianapolis ran just 15 plays and had the ball 6:55.
Take It Away
Green Bay had just seven interceptions a year ago. The Packers already have five this year after safety Xavier McKinney, linebacker Eric Wilson and safety Evan Williams had interceptions Sunday.
For the second straight week, McKinney had an early pick. McKinney, one of Green Bay’s high-priced, offseason free agent acquisitions, had a ball thrown right into his lap by Colts’ quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Richardson, a terrific athlete with a huge arm, overthrew wideout Alec Pierce late in the first quarter and his errant pass went right to McKinney.
“I’ve been saying this since the offseason, we get to play with vision on the quarterback, and I love doing that,” McKinney said. “And I know we do as a defense because we’re able to play with our instincts, we’re able to call out different things, see different things and be able to just trust in what we see and go out there and make a play. So it’s been fun.”
Early in the fourth quarter, Wilson dropped perfectly into coverage and intercepted a pass intended for Michael Pittman.
“He’s just consistent. That’s the best way I can describe him,” LaFleur said of Wilson. “He just goes out there and executes, and he does it in two phases of the game, he does it on defense and then on teams as well.”
Then on the final play of the game, Williams — a rookie safety — intercepted Richardson’s Hail Mary pass.
“We just have the guys at every position to get stuff done,” Williams said. “Just a bunch of hard-nosed dudes who are willing to do their jobs and just execute to the highest level.”
O’ Romeo, Romeo
The Packers led, 13-3, early in the fourth quarter and faced a critical third-and-5 from their own 45. Willis took a shot down the right sideline for Romeo Doubs, the only deep ball Willis threw all game.
Doubs was one-on-one with cornerback Jaylon Jones, and at the moment of truth, timed his leap perfectly and hauled in a 39-yard pass from Willis. Three plays later, Brayden Narveson drilled a 34-yard field goal to give Green Bay a 16-3 lead.
“I mean, obviously the corner had the advantage, so I just played the play to the best of my ability and came down with it,” Doubs said.
Getting His Kicks
Rookie kicker Brayden Narveson had a solid first game at Lambeau Field.
Narveson went 3-for-4 on field goals, making kicks of 46, 42 and 34 yards. Narveson also made his only extra point attempt.
The only negative was Narveson missed a 45-yard field goal.
This and That
Elgton Jenkins and Rasheed Walker had terrific blocks on an early 34-yard Josh Jacobs run. … Tucker Kraft had the key block on a 22-yard run by wideout Jayden Reed in the first quarter. … Daniel Whelan dropped a beautiful 42-yard punt that had some nifty backspin and was downed at the Colts’ 8-yard line. Whelan later bombed a 59-yard punt that Colts return man Anthony Gould had to fair catch. … Devonte Wyatt sacked Colts’ quarterback Anthony Richardson for a 6-yard loss early in the third quarter. … Lukas Van Ness helped kill a third quarter Indianapolis drive by dropping running back Jonathan Taylor for a 3-yard loss.
Run Defense
Green Bay’s rushing defense has been suspect, at best, for years now. And it wasn’t any better Sunday.
The Colts ran for 119 yards on just 17 carries, an average of 7.0 yards per attempt. Former University of Wisconsin star Jonathan Taylor hurt the Packers with 103 yards on 12 carries (8.6).
From the Infirmary
Right guard Jordan Morgan, who splits time with Sean Rhyan, left the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury.
Morgan injured the same shoulder during training camp and missed about a week.
“I’ve just got to shake it off,” Morgan said. “I’m going to come back next week, so I’ll be good.”
This and That
Lukas Van Ness was tagged with a very questionable roughing the passer penalty. … Wideout Bo Melton had a holding penalty on Green Bay’s opening drive and Rasheed Walker had one on the Packers’ second possession. … Jacobs was dumped for a 5-yard loss in the third quarter in part because tight end Tucker Kraft couldn't get Laiatu Latu covered up. … Center Josh Myers was flagged twice for an illegal man downfield penalty.
Hold On Tight
Josh Jacobs had a huge day, but his fumble early in the second quarter was a killer. With the Packers leading, 10-0, Jacobs was about to cross the goal line, but Zaire Franklin forced a fumble and Laiatu Latu recovered.
Jacobs could have given the Packers a 17-0 lead and a little breathing room. Instead, Jacobs helped the Colts stay in the game.
“I don’t think I can articulate what was going through my mind on that fumble,” LaFleur said. “But that happens. Josh, I’m sure he was more sick about it than I was. He ran so hard today and he always does. He’s a great teammate and a great leader for our football team, what did he have, 30 carries? I mean, he put in a good day’s work, I’d say. So I know obviously that can be costly, and luckily for us it didn’t cost us.”
