The Green Bay Packers rested most starters and fell behind 13-0 on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium, but Matt LaFleur’s team found a way to score 23 of the game’s final 29 points and escape Indianapolis with a 23-19 win over the Colts, evening the Packers’ preseason record at 1-1.
Penalties hampered the Packers while facing many of the Colts preferred starters in the first half, but the performance improved drastically when backups faced backups in the second half.
“The first half was extremely sloppy from an offensive standpoint, certainly a lot of penalties. Really in every phase we had penalties, but we did a much better job in the second half,” LaFleur said post-game.
Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ win over the Colts:
The Good
The second half: The Packers scored three touchdowns over the final 30 minutes, including a pair of hard-earned scores from Israel Abanikanda and Amar Johnson inside the 10-yard line and Sean Clifford’s game-winning 11-yard scramble — allowing Green Bay to out score the Colts 20-6 to erase a 13-3 halftime deficit. Matt LaFleur’s team cut out the penalties and put together solid drives during the second half in a winning effort.
Jordan Morgan: While the starting offensive line had issues, Morgan once again shined at left tackle against Colts starters. He looks smooth and increasingly confident as a pass protector on the edge. Rasheed Walker’s injury opened the door for the Packers’ 2024 first-round pick, and Morgan has taken advantage over the last few weeks. The Packers have two capable left tackles entering the 2025 season — a huge luxury.
Hardman and Heath bounce back: Mecole Hardman and Malik Heath both looked better after disappointing preseason openers. Hardman caught a 21-yard pass to convert a third down and had no issues returning punts, while Heath made a contested catch on third down and likely should have drawn a holding penalty when he got behind the coverage on a deep ball. Both veteran receivers still need a strong final week.
Whelan looks ready: Brandon McManus has been lights out during training camp, and punter Daniel Whelan looks Pro Bowl caliber. He had three punts on Saturday, all ending up inside the 20-yard line. On one punt, Whelan completely flipped the field with a towering 59-yard punt that ended up inside the Colts 10-yard line.
The Bad
Losing the turnover battle again: Emanuel Wilson lost a fumble, leading to a Colts field goal, and the Packers lost the turnover battle 1-0. The emphasis on taking the ball away hasn’t translated in the preseason — the Packers don’t have a single takeaway and are down 3-0 in the turnover department through two exhibition games. In addition to Wilson’s fumble, Taylor Elgersma had an interception negated by penalty, and the Colts dropped what should have been an easy pick. The Packers are banking on takeaways coming in bunches once the regular season begins.
The Ugly
Penalties in the first half: The Packers committed 11 penalties before halftime, including five from rookie Anthony Belton. Donovan Jennings’ holding penalty negated a 31-yard catch from Julian Hicks. Kamal Hadden and Johnathan Baldwin had holding penalties on a Colts touchdown drive. On the final possession of the first half, Belton and Kadeem Telfort had three illegal formation penalties negating completions, including a touchdown pass from Taylor Elgersma to Ben Sims. It’s fair to wonder what the score would have been at halftime without some of the penalties. The preseason is often a sloppy, penalty-filled affair, but 11 in one half is way too many.
Another MarShawn Lloyd injury: If the second-year running back didn’t have bad injury luck, he’d have no injury luck at all. Lloyd reported hamstring tightness after making an electric 33-yard catch in the first half. He played 11 snaps and had six carries and a catch, showcasing what he could bring to the Packers if he’s able to stay on the field. But that’s a big if.