The Green Bay Packers used a complementary performance from the offense, defense and special teams to steal a 16-10 win with backup quarterback Malik Willis starting Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
The home opener at Lambeau Field wasn’t always pretty, but the Packers did what was required to win an important football game without Jordan Love under center.
The offense ran for 261 yards, held the ball for over 40 minutes and converted 10 third downs, while Willis completed 86 percent of his passes, had a third-down touchdown pass and didn’t have a turnover or take a sack.
The defense gave up only 10 points, forced three takeaways and held the Colts to 3-for-11 on third or fourth down, and Indianapolis needed over 40 minutes to get on the scoreboard and didn’t score a touchdown until late in the fourth.
The special teams got three field goals and 10 total points from Brayden Narveson and three punts pinned inside the 20-yard line from Daniel Whelan.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of our football team,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “We talked about playing complementary football, and I thought we did a pretty good job of that.”
The Packers were a home underdog and staring at a dreaded 0-2 start with Jordan Love nursing a knee injury. LaFleur and his new quarterback had other plans.
Willis, who was acquired via trade on Aug. 27, completed 12 of his 14 passes. He threw a dart to Dontayvion Wicks for a touchdown in the first quarter. For the most part, he did a terrific job of taking what was available and avoiding negative plays. LaFleur couldn’t hide his pride in what Willis was able to accomplish in terms of executing the offense after arriving in Green Bay less than three weeks ago.
LaFleur also deserves piles of credit. A complex and versatile run game produced one of the best rushing performances from a Packers offense in years, helping protect a young and inexperienced quarterback. Josh Jacobs carried 32 times for 151 yards. The Packers ran the ball 53 times for 261 yards, and four different players had a run of 10 or more yards.
In the passing game, Wicks, Romeo Doubs and Tucker Kraft all had key third-down catches setting up points.
Defensively, the Packers had Anthony Richardson playing tentatively early. He ended up completing 17-of-34 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, but the score came late in the fourth quarter and the Packers delivered three interceptions — including a key pick in the second half with the Colts driving for points. The final takeaway was Evan Williams’ win-clinching pick of Richardson’s Hail Mary attempt. The Colts were scoreless well into the third quarter, limiting pressure on the offense to score every trip.
In the third phase, Narveson made his first three field goals, and Whelan had two punts pinned inside the 10-yard line and a 59-yarder that flipped the field. There was no major mistake outside of Narveson’s miss from 45 in the second half.
“I’m so proud of our staff, our players, for sticking together,” LaFleur said.
The Packers are now 1-1 after accomplishing one of the toughest acts in pro football: winning with a backup quarterback. Complementary football around Willis helped get it done on Sunday at Lambeau Field.