Green Bay Packers use run-heavy attack, efficient offense to top Indianapolis Colts 16-10 in home opener
GREEN BAY − If not for the sea of Green Bay Packers fans in the Lambeau Field stands for the 2024 home opener, Sunday afternoon could have been confused for San Francisco. Middle January in 2020. A game this franchise would like to forget.
The Packers did not have Jordan Love available because of his sprained MCL from last week’s trip to Brazil. So coach Matt LaFleur reached into the recesses of Packers games past, turning to what the San Francisco 49ers did to them in the 2019 NFC championship game. Not since that evening in San Francisco have the Packers been involved in a game that was so lopsided between running and passing the football.
This time, it was the Packers on the dominant side.
BOX SCORE: Packers 16, Colts 10
The Packers ran the football down the Indianapolis Colts defense early and often Sunday, winning 16-10 to avoid slipping to 0-2 this season. It was a game plan designed to limit backup quarterback Malik Willis’ workload 19 days after he was traded to the Packers from the Tennessee Titans, though Willis’ efficiency was laudable.
The Packers ran the football on 16 of their first 18 plays. They had 164 rushing yards on 20 carries, the most for any NFL game in an opening quarter since the Denver Broncos in 2011. This was a day not seen in the league since Tim Tebow.
By the end, the Packers finished with 261 rushing yards on 53 carries. They were led by Josh Jacobs, who had 151 yards on 32 carries, though he fumbled before the goal line in the first half to prevent him from scoring a touchdown. It wasn’t quite the 285 rushing yards on 42 carries the 49ers put on the Packers' defense in the 2019 NFC championship game, but in a pass-heavy league, it was as close as you’ll find.
Here are some quick observations from the Packers first win of the season:
Malik Willis proves Packers have a backup quarterback who can help them win games
For the first time in four career starts, Willis threw for more than 100 passing yards in a game. On the stat sheet, Willis’ first start in a Packers uniform wasn’t much to look at. He completed just 12 of 14 passes for 122 yards, one touchdown and a 126.8 passer rating. But Willis played very well for what the game plan asked him to do, which was to engineer the offense efficiently, make the right choices and hit the smattering of completions that needed to be made. With his arm, Willis’ best moment came on third-and-4 late in the first quarter, when he dotted an out route to Dontayvion Wicks for a 14-yard touchdown. That gave the Packers an important early cushion with a 10-0 lead. But it was Willis’ composure that was most impressive. With less than five minutes left in the second quarter, the Packers had a third-and-10. Willis didn’t force a play, instead taking positive yards with his legs and living for a punt. Rather than flipping field position, the Colts started their next possession inside their 10-yard line. Those kind of decisions combined for a winning performance from the backup quarterback.
Jayden Reed fills the same versatile role as former Packers receiver Randall Cobb
Jayden Reed’s numbers looked nothing like Week 1, when he exited as the NFL’s fourth-leading receiver and scored touchdowns in the air and on the ground. He caught only two passes for 9 yards. On the ground, his two carries for 37 yards were useful if less than impactful. But in a blitzkrieg opening quarter, Reed might have been the Packers most important player. LaFleur spread Reed all over the field, lining him up as a slot receiver and running back. Reed was a playmaker and a decoy, his presnap motion dictating the Colts' defense. It was the same role Randall Cobb used to fill for former coach Mike McCarthy, a do-everything player. While the Packers owned the Colts’ outmatched offensive line physically, they also had the Colts guessing for much of the first quarter. There will be plenty of games this season Reed puts up bigger numbers. His versatility has become irreplaceable in LaFleur’s scheme.
Xavier McKinney couldn’t have hoped for better start to his Packers tenure
What a difference it makes for this Packers defense when there’s a quality safety patrolling the back end. This defense hasn’t had a game changer at that position in over a decade, and early indications show Xavier McKinney has a chance to be that. McKinney had his second pick in as many games to open his Packers tenure, likely taking points off the board as the Colts marched inside Packers territory in the opening quarter. The Packers sent six defenders on a blitz with linebacker Quay Walker getting pressure on Anthony Richardson, forcing him to throw off his back foot. His downfield pass resembled a pop fly, which McKinney settled under for the pick. It was an easy interception, but so many times over the years Packers safeties have failed to make the easy plays. It was only this past January in San Francisco when Darnell Savage dropped an early interception that hit his hands and would have likely been a pick-six. The easy plays matter, and the Packers have a safety who is making them. It goes a long way.
Cast an MVP vote for Packers punter Daniel Whelan
This might be the first time we’ve devoted a section of the quick observations to the Packers punter. But, on this day, there wasn’t a better player on the field than Daniel Whelan. He punted only three times, but they were close to perfection. His first came in the second quarter. From midfield, Whelan dropped a 42-yard punt inside the 10-yard line, letting it backspin out of bounds at the 8. In the third quarter, Whelan boomed a 59-yard punt that pinned the Colts back at their 16-yard line. His last iced the game inside the final minute, a 38-yard boot downed at the Colts’ 5-yard line. The Packers had open competition at kicker and even long snapper during this offseason, but Whelan was the one specialist who never had company for his job. He showed why Sunday.
Brayden Narveson struggling to make the easy kicks early in his Packers tenure
If the Packers have their punt game in good position, their kicking game remains inconsistent. For the second straight game, rookie Brayden Narveson had a strong start spoiled by missing a field goal that should’ve been automatic in the NFL. With just more than 4 minutes left Sunday, Narveson missed a 45-yard attempt wide right. It was his second miss of less than 50 yards to open this season after hitting the right upright from 44 yards Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Narveson’s miss didn’t hurt the Packers on Sunday, but it has to be a concern as they move forward with their season. Kicks inside 50 yards should be almost automatic in this league. The Packers have missed too many of them dating back to the start of last season.