Green Bay Packers Shut Down Colts; Win Without Jordan Love

The Green Bay Packers and their fans breathed a sigh of relief when Jordan Love’s diagnosis was reported. An MCL sprain will not keep the quarterback off the field long-term. However, in the short term, the team needed to figure out how to ensure they were still in the playoff hunt. It started this week against the Colts. With Malik Willis starting, the pressure was on Matt LaFleur to create a game plan for victory. He delivered, and the Green Bay Packers won their home opener.

Green Bay Packers Run Game

While Malik Willis made some big throws, it was the run game that shined on Sunday. Josh Jacobs picked up where he left off last Friday, taking 32 carries for 151 yards. Malik Willis added 41 yards on the ground, and wide receiver Jayden Reed took a couple of carries for 37 yards. The former Tennessee Titans quarterback only attempted 14 passes on the day. The downside of the game plan was the Packers did not get the explosive plays they saw in week 1.

The team had to settle for field goals often, but it was a costly fumble that kept the Colts in the game. Up 10-0, Jacobs was a half-yard away from adding another touchdown. However, he fumbled, and the Colts recovered. While it ended up not hurting the team in the long run, the Packers could have made it a three-score game early. Instead, Indianapolis stayed in it but couldn’t crack the Packer’s defense.

Defensive Clinic

After the week 1 performance against the Philadelphia Eagles, many were already upset with new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. He redeemed himself today. The Green Bay Packers forced three turnovers and may have had more if they could jump on loose balls. Devonte Wyatt looked good rushing the passer, and safety Xavier McKinney got an interception in his second straight game. Quarterback Anthony Richardson is a hard player to contain, but the Packers did a good job of not letting him get the explosive plays he did last week.

One thing that also helped the Green Bay Packers was the Colts made some mistakes. Outside of the interceptions, there were multiple drops on big plays that killed drives. Still, the Packers kept things in front of them and didn’t allow the offense to get in a rhythm.

Looking Ahead

The Green Bay Packers will play the Tennessee Titans next week. There is optimism that Jordan Love could be back sooner than expected. He was listed as questionable until late Saturday night when the team downgraded him and called up Sean Clifford from the practice squad. With a victory today, the team may be more cautious with their franchise quarterback and try to steal another victory with Willis under center. The good news for the team is that they avoided a 0-2 start, which would have been their first since 2006. It wasn’t pretty, but the Green Bay Packers got the much-needed victory, which is all that matters.