The Green Bay Packers were unable to protect a 14-point halftime lead and lost to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, dropping Matt LaFleur’s team to 7-3 after the first 10 games of 2020.
Here are the studs and duds from the Packers’ overtime loss in Indy:
Studs
S Adrian Amos: The Packers’ veteran safety was active and physical. In the first half, he smacked Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton on an in-breaker, breaking up the pass. Later, and with the Packers’ run defense bleeding, Amos made a pair of important stops, including one for a 2-yard loss on third down in the red zone.
OLB Rashan Gary: The second-year edge rusher is starting to stack successes. He was the Packers’ best edge-setter against the run on Sunday, and by a wide margin. He’s starting to learn how to use his power to affect the game. He’ll regret not wrapping up Philip Rivers for a third-down sack in the second half but his disruptive pressure still ruined the play. He led the team with four total pressures, including a wicked hit on Rivers that helped produce the Packers’ lone interception. He also batted down a pass and twice beat left tackle Anthony Castonzo to stuff Jonathan Taylor after short gains.
QB Aaron Rodgers: He started hot, completing his first five passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. His three first-half touchdown passes had the Packers in complete control against the NFL’s fourth-ranked scoring defense. Even once the Colts took the lead in the fourth quarter, Rodgers had the Packers back on the move, with a brilliant final drive sending the game into overtime. He completed three of four passes thrown over 20 yards and ended up with five total completions gaining at least 20 yards. His final stat line included a 71.1 completion percentage, 311 passing yards and a passer rating of 110.7, his ninth time in 10 games with a passer rating over 100.0.
WR Davante Adams: Another score and another 100-yard game for Adams, who caught seven of nine targets and finished with 106 receiving yards and his 10th touchdown of the 2020 season. Even on a bad ankle, his releases off the line shook coverage. He caught a pass over his shoulder for 33 yards off of a slot fade on the game’s first play and later scored a 5-yard touchdown on a quick bubble screen. The only downside to his day: Adams couldn’t shake free on a few important snaps in the fourth quarter, including the 4th-and-1 play and the third-down snap before the game-tying field goal late in regulation, but the Colts had a good plan for 17.
TE Jace Sternberger: He provided meaningful impact in his role, especially in the first half. His route combination with Robert Tonyan helped create the Packers’ first touchdown. When he went to the corner, he occupied two defenders and opened up Tonyan on the post. Later, he outran Darius Leonard on the boot action play for 12 easy yards in the red zone. He also chipped in as a run blocker, cutting down cornerback Xavier Rhodes in the open field as a pulling lead blocker.
Duds
KR Darrius Shepherd: The Colts made it a priority to kick it high and short and make Shepherd return every kickoff. The plan was genius. His seven kickoff returns averaged 19.7 yards. The Packers routinely started drives short of the 25-yard line. His fumble in the fourth quarter was a crucial mistake. Shepherd is a nice story, but he’s a fringe NFL player who is really hurting his team.
OLB Preston Smith: Despite being on the field for 66 snaps, Smith allowed more completions (two) than he had total pressures (one). Mike Pettine put him in an impossible situation at the end of the first half when he got tied up one-on-one against tight end Trey Burton, who won down the seam for a touchdown. But Smith just isn’t impacting the game as a rusher or edge setter. It’s a harsh reality for a prideful veteran, but Rashan Gary needs more of his snaps.
P JK Scott: The Packers made him questionable due to a personal matter. He played, but his punting struggles continued, even indoors at Lucas Oil Stadium. His three punts: 39 yards, 40 yards, 38 yards. Two of the punts were returned. Not good enough.
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