There you have it, the worse collapse with a lead of the Matt LaFleur era.
The Green Bay Packers led 28-14 over the Indianapolis Colts at halftime, but a huge downfall in the second half led them to lose 34-31 in overtime.
“It was the tale of two halves,” LaFleur put it eloquently during his postgame press conference.
Despite a fumble on the first drive, the Packers jumped out to the first lead of the game after a forced fumble by Raven Greene set up a short scoring drive. It was an encouraging sign for a Green Bay defense that has struggled to create turnovers this season. The Colts answered with a scoring drive of their own.
Then, at the end of the first quarter, Aaron Rodgers threw an uncharacteristic interception trying to fit the ball into a tight window to Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Rarely does the Packers offense trip over their own feet with giveaways, however, when they do, it can be fatal. Consider this year’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccanneers game as a prime example.
That wasn’t the case against Indianapolis, as Green Bay took control of the game with a 21-7 lead in the second quarter. Linebacker Christian Kirksey intercepted a tipped pass that helped lead the Packers to their third score of the game. Of course, the Colts answered with a scoring drive of their own.
With under two minutes remaining in the first half, Green Bay’s offense went 75 yards in six plays. Valdes-Scantling drew a massive pass interference penalty on third down that placed the ball inside the five-yard line. Rodgers then found running back Jamaal Williams to secure a two-touchdown lead heading into the break.
However, things started to unravel once the Packers took the field for the second half.
Indianapolis got the ball to start the third quarter, and they ate up over seven minutes of the clock to only collect three points.
In the blink of an eye, Green Bay went three and out and the Colts offense was back on the field. This time they made sure to get into the end zone. Philip Rivers led the charge and punched in a six-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jack Doyle. The drive lasted nearly four minutes.
Now only up by a field after a successful two-point conversion, the Packers needed the offense to generate some momentum. Facing a third-and-1, Rodgers tried to find Davante Adams on a slant but the throw was behind him and they were forced to punt again. In total, Indianapolis controlled the ball for over 11 minutes in the third.
Down three, the Colts used a 32-yard field goal to tie the game in the fourth quarter. Darrius Shepherd received the kickoff for Green Bay and returned it to the 25 before fumbling the ball away. For a lot of teams, this would have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, however, the Packers somehow held on to what dignity they had left.
Thanks to some Rodgers magic, Green Bay forced overtime. They even won the coin toss, an important factor that seems to escape this team quite often. However, they should have known the fourth turnover would be the dagger. After what was shaping up to be a great game, including the 47-yard reception to set up the game-tying field goal, Valdes-Scantling’s fumble gutted this team’s hope of winning.
The Packers have suffered ugly losses under LaFleur before. Last year, Rivers carved up the defense to secure a 26-11 win for the Los Angeles Chargers. Of course, there were also both meetings with San Francisco. In 2020, we have now experienced three brutal defeats – one to Tampa Bay, the Minnesota Vikings, and now Indianapolis.
Rodgers and LaFleur said all the right things after the game. This team put up a fight and they appear to be a resilient bunch. However, ugly losses have become an all too familiar feeling for Packers fans.
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