What the Packers did to survive without Jordan Love and get a win over the Colts
It was not the most beautiful, prolific win of all times, but it was a win. Without Jordan Love, it was all the Green Bay Packers could expect and hope for. And they pulled it off with Malik Willis at quarterback, beating the Indianapolis Colts 16-10 at Lambeau Field to improve their record to 1-1. […]
It was not the most beautiful, prolific win of all times, but it was a win. Without Jordan Love, it was all the Green Bay Packers could expect and hope for. And they pulled it off with Malik Willis at quarterback, beating the Indianapolis Colts 16-10 at Lambeau Field to improve their record to 1-1.
Run the ball, baby
The Packers had a plan to run the offense without Jordan Love, and it involved… running the ball. A lot, in every conceivable way. 1st and 20, 3rd and 3, it didn't matter. Green Bay leaned on Josh Jacobs, and the starting running back ran for 49 yards only on the first drive.
The gameplan worked, as the Packers got 164 yards in the first quarter (8.2 yards per attempt), the most by the franchise since 1985. They had had 163 rushing yards in the entire game against the Philadelphia Eagles in week 1. The Packers finished the first half with 237 rushing yards.
It was not a perfect game by any means. There was a Josh Jacobs fumble on the one-yard line, preventing a touchdown, and there were just too many penalties — two in the first drive negating positive plays, for instance, and a holding from Rasheed Walker negating a Josh Jacobs 20-yard touchdown in the second drive. Josh Myers was called twice throughout the game for being down the field.
The offensive creativity included some instances where the Packers used 11 personnel, but putting a wide receiver (Jayden Reed or Dontayvion Wicks) in the backfield alongside the running back (Josh Jacobs or MarShawn Lloyd).
In the second half, the Colts adjusted the defense and were clearly better prepared to stop what the Packers were trying to do running the ball. The offense wasn’t as efficient, but a big play to Romeo Doubs, grabbing a contested deep shot, helped it stay afloat to a certain degree.
What they got from Willis
It was obviously a plan built around what Malik Willis can and can't do. But it's a fact that he ended up being the best quarterback of the game, something you probably wouldn't have anticipated, and he did everything Matt LaFleur asked him to.
In the first half, Green Bay ran 34 times and passed only five. And to finish the first half, the Packers simply opted not to be aggressive in the last minute and killed the clock to avoid mistakes. Of those five passes, Willis completed four, including a touchdown throw to Dontayvion Wicks.
And when the Packers really needed Malik Willis to throw, he was solid enough to deliver. On a third and 9 early in the third quarter, for example, the quarterback had the patience and found Tucker Kraft in position to get yards after the catch for the conversion. Eventually, Green Bay would be more conservative than normal — handing the ball off on third and longs to prevent mistakes.
Malik Willis finished the game completing 12 of 14 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown, an 126.8 passer rating, plus six carries for 41 rushing yards.
Better production from the defense
The Packers haven’t had the production they expected when they took Devonte Wyatt in the first round in 2022, but the young defensive tackle had his best game in the NFL on Sunday. The performance included a run stop (finally!), a pressure alongside Quay Walker to force an interception picked up by Xavier McKinney, and a sack. He also had a pressure on Anthony RIchardson on a third down in the third quarter when the Colts were having their best offensive drive of the day, making them settle for a field goal.
Getting more pressure from the interior was huge for the Packers, especially without a big game from the edge defenders.
Safety Xavier McKinney also showed why the Packers were so high on him in free agency. He got his second interception in as many games.
Off-ball linebacker Eric Wilson had two huge plays in the fourth quarter, stopping a 3rd and 1 from the Colts (Matt Gay missed a 50-yard field goal right thereafter) and picking Anthony Richardson on the following drive.
The Colts got a touchdown drive with less than two minutes left, but it was too late. Evan Williams ended the game with an interception on a Hail Mary from Anthony Richardson.
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