The energy at Lambeau Field during the Green Bay Packers Indianapolis Colts game wasn't just electric; it was anxious. Honestly, most fans walked into the stadium thinking the season might be on the brink of a collapse. Jordan Love was out with a MCL sprain. Malik Willis, who had been on the roster for about twenty minutes, was starting. People expected a disaster. Instead, they got a masterclass in "old school" football that basically redefined how we view Matt LaFleur’s coaching ceiling.
It wasn't pretty. It was gritty.
If you look at the box score of that September 15, 2024, matchup, you might see a 16-10 win and think it was a boring defensive slog. You'd be wrong. It was a tactical strangulation. The Packers didn't just beat the Colts; they physically moved them out of the way for four straight quarters. Green Bay ran the ball 53 times. 53! In a modern NFL where everyone wants to play "basketball on grass," the Packers went back to 1965, and the Colts simply had no answer for it.
The Josh Jacobs Workhorse Performance
Let's talk about Josh Jacobs because, man, he was the heartbeat of this game. Everyone wondered if the Packers made a mistake letting Aaron Jones go, but Jacobs silenced that real quick. He carried the rock 32 times for 151 yards. Think about the physical toll of 32 carries in the September heat. It’s brutal.
He was a hammer.
The Colts' defensive front, led by guys like Grover Stewart, usually holds up better, but they were gassed by the middle of the second quarter. The Packers' offensive line—specifically Elgton Jenkins and Rasheed Walker—were getting to the second level with ease. It wasn't just about power, though. It was about the scheme. LaFleur used heavy personnel, unconventional motions, and basically told Shane Steichen, "We are running right at you, and you can't stop us."
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There was that one moment, a fumble near the goal line by Jacobs, that could have flipped the script. It was a rare mistake in an otherwise legendary performance. Had the Colts recovered that and scored, we might be talking about a very different outcome. But the Packers' defense, which has been criticized for years under various coordinators, stood tall when it mattered most.
Malik Willis and the Art of Doing Just Enough
Nobody expected Malik Willis to look like a Pro Bowler. And he didn't. But he looked like a winner. His stat line—12 of 14 for 122 yards and a touchdown—is exactly what you want from a backup who was traded for a seventh-round pick just weeks prior.
He stayed calm. He didn't turn the ball over. He used his legs when he had to.
The touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks was a beauty. It showed that while the Packers were committed to the run, they weren't one-dimensional. The Colts' secondary, missing key pieces and struggling with communication, got caught peeking into the backfield. Willis punished them. It’s kind of wild to think that a guy who struggled to even see the field in Tennessee could come into Lambeau and execute a game plan this complex with such limited prep time. It speaks volumes about the Packers' quarterback room and Tom Clements' coaching.
Why the Colts' Offense Stalled
Anthony Richardson is a freak athlete. We all know this. But the Green Bay Packers Indianapolis Colts game exposed the "boom or bust" nature of his current development. He’d throw a 50-yard laser that makes your jaw drop, then follow it up with an interception that leaves you scratching your head.
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The Packers' defense baited him.
Jeff Hafley, the Packers' new defensive coordinator, played a lot of vision-based coverage. They wanted Richardson to beat them from the pocket with intermediate throws. He couldn't do it consistently. He finished with three interceptions. Xavier McKinney, the big-money free agent, grabbed one of those, continuing his ridiculous streak of takeaways.
The Colts' run game was weirdly abandoned, too. Jonathan Taylor was averaging nearly nine yards a carry! He had 103 yards on just 12 touches. Why didn't he get the ball 25 times? That’s the question Colts fans were screaming in the bars after the game. Shane Steichen is a great offensive mind, but he got away from what was working, while Matt LaFleur leaned into his strength until the clock hit zero.
The Lambeau Humidity Factor
You don't usually think of Wisconsin as a tropical humid mess in mid-September, but it was over 80 degrees with high moisture. Players were cramping everywhere. The Colts looked sluggish. The Packers, who stayed on their hydration game and rotated defensive linemen like Lukas Van Ness and Kingsley Enagbare effectively, seemed to have more gas in the tank during the fourth quarter.
It’s these little things—the conditioning, the home-field advantage, the crowd noise—that make the Green Bay Packers Indianapolis Colts game a classic example of "winning the margins."
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What We Learned for the Future
This game was a turning point for Green Bay. It proved they aren't just "Jordan Love or Bust." They have a defensive identity forming. They have a dominant run game. For the Colts, it was a wake-up call. You can't win in the NFL if you can't stop the run, even if your quarterback can jump over a Cadillac.
The disparity in time of possession was staggering. Green Bay held the ball for over 40 minutes. In a 60-minute game, that is essentially bullying. The Colts' defense was on the field for 70+ snaps. You can be the best athlete in the world, but by snap 65, your legs are heavy and your reaction time is shot.
Practical Insights for NFL Fans
If you're looking back at this game to understand how to evaluate these teams going forward, keep a few things in mind:
- Watch the Trench Play: The Packers' offensive line is arguably a top-5 unit when healthy. Their ability to switch from a pass-heavy offense to a power-run game mid-season is a rare trait.
- The McKinney Effect: Xavier McKinney isn't just a safety; he's a "centerfielder" who changes how quarterbacks have to read the deep half of the field. If he's on the field, deep shots are risky business.
- Richardson’s Learning Curve: For Colts fans, patience is mandatory. Anthony Richardson is essentially a rookie in terms of total snaps played. High-turnover games are going to happen, but the ceiling remains astronomical.
- Coaching Flexibility: Matt LaFleur proved he’s not married to a specific "system." He’s married to winning. If he needs to run 50 times to win, he will.
To truly understand the trajectory of these two franchises, you have to look at the tape of this specific matchup. It wasn't a fluke. It was a blueprint. The Packers showed they can survive adversity, and the Colts showed they still have a long way to go in terms of defensive consistency and quarterback discipline.
The next step for any serious fan is to track the "Success Rate" of the Packers' run game in subsequent weeks. Check if teams start stacking eight or nine men in the box to daringly challenge Green Bay's passing attack. For the Colts, watch the defensive line's gap discipline. If they don't fix the interior run defense, the rest of the AFC North and South will continue to exploit that massive hole in their scheme. Use NFL Pro Stats or PFF to look at "Yards After Contact" for Josh Jacobs—that’s the real metric of how much he punished the Colts' secondary.