The Green Bay Packers had everything going their way in the first half of this Week 11 game, yet their lead disappeared in the second half before the team fell in overtime to the Indianapolis Colts.
The Packers boasted a 28-14 lead at halftime but didn’t score again until the Colts had taken the lead, leaving Green Bay in need of a field goal to send the game to overtime. The Packers' offense ran aground in the second half, and the defense just wasn't good enough to maintain the first-half lead.
The Packers then continued to make a mess of things in overtime, receiving the ball first before Marquez Valdes-Scantling coughed it up and gave the Colts the opportunity to drive and snatch the win.
Editor's note: All of PFF's grades and advanced stats from this game will be finalized and made available to ELITE subscribers within 24 hours of the final whistle.
Story of the Game
Heading into the game, the biggest mismatch on paper was Aaron Rodgers over Philip Rivers, but Rivers was every bit his equal in this game if not significantly better. Rivers also did it while picking up a minor injury in the game that forced Jacoby Brissett onto the field for a brief sequence before he returned to lead his team to the win.
Rivers passed for 288 yards, produced a 75% adjusted completion rate and was accurate in critical situations without making significant mistakes. Rodgers had one bad turnover-worthy play when he tried to fit the ball into a closing window in the defense, and he was part of a botched snap that turned the ball over early in the game.
Overall, this felt like a game that Green Bay had the tools to win, but the team couldn’t make plays at the key times, while the reverse is true for Indianapolis.
Rookie Watch
Green Bay’s rookie contributions were limited to a couple of players. Jon Runyan Jr. didn’t put together a great game at left guard, surrendering three total pressures on 35 pass-blocking snaps. On defense, fifth-round rookie Kamal Martin played 20 snaps in a linebacker group trying to find plus play and provided some in his limited looks. Martin had three defensive stops and was very active in the run game.
The Colts have been waiting for Michael Pittman Jr. to show up and make some big plays, akin to the rest of the rookie wide receiver class this year. Pittman had three catches for 66 yards, including 54 after the catch. One of those receptions was a nice run-after-the-catch play that resulted in a vital touchdown for the Colts. Jonathan Taylor was also a big part of the comeback win, posting 22 attempts for 90 yards on the ground, 75 of which came after contact, with five broken tackles. He was also on the field for 14 passing snaps and caught all four attempts thrown his way for 33 yards.
Wide receiver De’Michael Harris played 16 snaps and saw just one pass come his way.
On defense, Julian Blackmon was again a big part of the secondary and had a solid performance in what has been an impressive debut season for the former Utah Ute.
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