Packer Central

Live Updates: Without Jordan Love, Packers Beat Colts 16-10

Malik Willis will get the start for the Green Bay Packers’ game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lambeau Field on Sunday. Follow along all day for updates.

Bill Huber

The scene at Lambeau Field before Packers-Colts.
The scene at Lambeau Field before Packers-Colts. / Bill Huber/Packers On SI
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts will battle at Lambeau Field today. Can the Packers extend their home-opener winning streak to a league-best 12 games? They’ll have to do it without Jordan Love.

Follow along all day for updates.

Final Score

Packers 16, Colts 10

The Packers survived a late Colts comeback when Evan Williams recovered an onside kick and intercepted a Hail Mary.

Here’s the story from the Packers’ 12th consecutive home-opening victory.

Fourth Quarter

Packers 16, Colts 10 (1:47 remaining)

It will come down to an onside kicker. Anthony Richardson had all day before hitting Alex Pierce for a 4-yard touchdown. Moments earlier, Richardson converted a fourth-and-11 with an 11-yard scramble that survived a review. Richardson, having a dismal game after a highlight-filled Week 1, moved the chain with completions of 18, 11 and 11 yards on the drive.

However, Evan Williams recovered the onside kick.

Packers 16, Colts 3 (4:10 remaining)

Malik Willis went over his career high for passing yards – the best of his three career starts was a mere 99 yards – with a 15-yard completion to Romeo Doubs and a 7-yarder to Dontayvion Wicks on third-and-5. Brayden Narveson’s 45-yard field goal was wide right, though.

Packers 16, Colts 3 (10:19 remaining)

Eric Wilson, who earned the starting job during training camp and was in a timeshare with rookie Edgerrin Cooper, perhaps made the clinching play as he intercepted Anthony Richardson’s pass to his top receiver, Michael Pittman. There wasn’t a sliver of space as Wilson recorded his first interception since 2021.

Packers 16, Colts 3 (10:50 remaining)

At some point, Malik Willis would need to make a play to help win the game. On third-and-5, Willis went deep to Romeo Doubs, who made a sensational catch over cornerback Jaylon Jones for a gain of 39. On Thursday, Christian Watson said Doubs had “400 yards” of deep catches from Willis at that day’s practice. The drive stalled but Brayden Narveson’s 34-yard field goal means the Colts will need to score two touchdowns to win.

Packers 13, Colts 3 (14:12 remaining)

The Packers’ 10-point lead remains safe. On third-and-1 on the first play of the fourth quarter, the Colts could have given the ball to red-hot running back Jonathan Taylor. Instead, they ran a quarterback option, with Trey Sermon losing 4 yards. Eric Wilson was first on the scene, with Isaiah McDuffie and Javon Bullard cleaning up the miss. Next, Matt Gaye’s 50-yard field goal was wide left.

Third Quarter

Packers 13, Colts 3 (1:56 remaining)

The Packers are in just a little bit of trouble here because their powerhouse running game has ground to a halt. An end-around by Bo Melton lost for 8. A screen to Tucker Kraft lost 1. With Malik Willis at quarterback, third-and-19 was Mission Impossible. Third-and-24 after a third-and-19 screen gained 17 was super-duper impossible. Fortunately for the Packers, Daniel Whelan bombed a 59-yard punt.

Packers 13, Colts 3 (4:32 remaining)

Matt Gay booted a 34-yard field goal to get the Colts on the board. Jonathan Taylor bounced a run to the left for 10 and a bounce to the right for 13. Next, Anthony Richardson hit tight end Mo Alie-Cox for 22. But Green Bay’s defense limited the damage. On second-and-5, nobody blocked Lukas Van Ness and he clobbered Taylor for minus-3. On third-and-8, Devonte Wyatt’s pressure forced Richardson into a short completion.

Packers 13, Colts 0 (8:25 remaining)

The Packers took advantage of a short field and tacked on a field goal when Brayden Narveson’s 42-yard field goal made it inside the right upright. The big play came on third-and-9. Tight end Tucker Kraft blocked for a moment, then trickled out into the flat. He caught a short pass, dodged a tackle by cornerback Samuel Womack and gained 17 yards.

Packers 10, Colts 0 (12:20 remaining)

The Colts rolled the dice and came up snake eyes. On fourth-and-4 from their own 45, Colts coach Shane Steichen kept the offense on the field. A good pass from Anthony Richardson to Jonathan Taylor might have gained the first down – linebacker Isaiah McDuffie was closing quickly – but the ball was behind Taylor and dropped.

Injury update: First-round pick Jordan Morgan, who had been rotating every other series with Sean Rhyan at right guard, is out with a shoulder injury. He missed the preseason with a shoulder injury, so the injury is something to watch.

Halftime

Packers 10, Colts 0

There was a smattering of boos, for some reason, following the Packers’ end-of-half clock management, but the Packers are taking a 10-point lead into the locker room.

With Malik Willis starting at quarterback for Jordan Love, the Packers ran the ball 34 times and threw only five passes. The Packers finished with 237 rushing yards. That’s already the 45th-best day in franchise history and the most since rushing for 259 yards against Detroit in 2020.

The franchise record is 366 rushing yards against Detroit in 1947.

Green Bay leads 262-80 in yards. The only thing keeping this game close was Jacobs’ goal-line fumble, which could have put the team up 17-0.

Second Quarter

Packers 10, Colts 0 (1:42 remaining)

The Colts gained a pair of first downs and should have had a third, but Adonai Mitchell dropped an easy pass at the Packers’ 46.

Packers 10, Colts 0 (4:06 remaining)

A key moment has arrived. The Colts finally stopped the Packers, so they’ll get the ball at their 9 with about 4 minutes to go. With the ball to start the second half, Indy’s got a chance to double-up and really flip the game. Green Bay is up to 226 rushing yards, with 17 carries for 117 yards by Josh Jacobs.

As he walked off the field after the Packers were stopped on third down, left guard Elgton Jenkins puked a few times.

Packers 10, Colts 0 (9:18 remaining)

The Colts moved the chains on third-and-5 but Kenny Clark drew a holding penalty on stud guard Quenton Nelson. On third-and-15, the Colts settled for a checkdown and a punt. The Packers will take over at the 16.

Packers 10, Colts 0 (12:06 remaining)

The Packers seemingly were on their way to an early knockout. With 189 rushing yards in the first 17 1/2 minutes, the Packers had a first-and-goal at the 4. Josh Jacobs had a chance for a touchdown but got the ball stripped by star linebacker Zaire Franklin. Laiatu Latu recovered in the end zone to give the Colts the ball at the 20 – and a stay of execution.

First Quarter

Packers 10, Colts 0 (2:26 remaining)

The Colts wasted no time in getting past midfield with a run of 17 yards by Jonathan Taylor and a quick pass to Ashton Dulin for 13. However, Anthony Richardson air-mailed a downfield shot to big-play receiver Alex Pierce. Safety Xavier McKinney didn’t have to move a muscle as he waited for the overthrown pass to float into his hands. It’s Packers ball at the 31.

Packers 10, Colts 0 (3:18 remaining)

Just like everyone predicted, it’s Packers 10-0. Malik Willis threw his first career touchdown pass, a 14-yarder to Dontayvion Wicks. It looked like nickel corner Kenny Moore thought he had a pick-six, but the ball got to Wicks, who turned upfield and got a shield block from Romeo Doubs at the goal line. It’s 16-2 runs vs. passes for the Packers, who topped 100 rushing yards just 9 1/2 minutes into the game.

Packers 3, Colts 0 (9:39 remaining)

The game couldn’t have started any better for the Packers. After running to an opening score, the Packers forced a three-and-out. On third-and-7, linebacker Isaiah McDuffie hit running back Jonathan Taylor instantly to force an incompletion. Taylor had no prayer, anyway, even had he hung onto the ball.

Packers 3, Colts 0 (10:30 remaining)

Malik Willis’ opening drive resulted in a field goal, though it had nothing to do with Willis and everything to do with Josh Jacobs, who carried three times for 49 yards. On first-and-20 following penalties by center Josh Jacobs (ineligible man downfield) and receiver Bo Melton (holding) that eliminated big gains, Jacobs rumbled for 37. He broke a tackle and gained 33 yards after contact. The drive stalled, though. On third-and-7, Willis’ quick pass to Jayden Reed gained 0 yards.

It’s Hot

With a kickoff temperature of 85 degrees, this is tied for the second-warmest home game in Packers history. In 2017, it was 89 degrees at kickoff vs. Cincinnati. In 1978, it also was 85 for a game in Milwaukee against New Orleans.

Packers Starting Lineup vs. Colts

Based on warmups, Sean Rhyan will start at right guard ahead of first-round pick Jordan Morgan and Eric Wilson will stat at linebacker ahead of second-round pick Edgerrin Cooper. Morgan and Cooper will play, though.

The Packers are sticking with their right guard rotation until there is a clear winner.

“They weren’t perfect by any means, but they went out there and competed,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. “I wouldn’t say either one of them grabbed the job and really said, ‘I’m better than you.’ It’s one of those things I think as the season goes, maybe we’ll evaluate it every game.

“I think it’s good for Jordan to get out there and play. Being a rookie, any time you can get that playing experience, it’s very valuable and there were some really good plays he had, too. So, I’m encouraged by what I saw from him, for sure. And then Sean, just keeping him involved, keeping him playing. Yeah, all that. I kind of like what we’re doing, to be honest with you. Just to keep those guys involved and playing.”

Cooper made a big early mistake but shined when he got some snaps in the second half.

“You’ve got a really talented young player who you’re counting on to be a really good player this season and you’ve got to play him,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said.

Round 2 for Brayden Narveson

In his first NFL game, rookie kicker Brayden Narveson made three field goals but had a costly miss in a 34-29 loss to the Eagles.

“Did I actually miss?” Narveson said.

That’s a kicker’s mind-set. You can’t dwell on a miss. You can’t bask in a make. There’s always another kick.

“You kind of have to, right?” Narveson said of his mindset. “If you get down on yourself, that miss leads to maybe missing the next one or the next one and then you go down a rabbit hole of, ‘Oh, I missed,’ and maybe I keep missing. But, at the end of the day, if you miss, the best (kickers) miss. The best of all-time miss. As far as I can think, there’s no kicker that has ever been perfect in the NFL. So, you miss, you move on, you make the next one. That’s my philosophy, anyway.”

After releasing Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph, general manager Brian Gutekunst grabbed Narveson off waivers from the Titans. While Gutekunst liked Narveson’s leg strength and excellent preseason, he also said Narveson would have a “short leash.”

“I don’t even think about that,” Narveson said. “At the end of the day, my job is to go out there and make kicks. If I make kicks, my leash can be as short as he wants it to be, you know what I mean?

“I’m not focused on that, I’m really not. I’m just focused on making sure every day that my process is the same, and that I can go out and execute on gameday. That’s all that’s going through my head. I don’t really play into what a coach says or the media says or whatever says. Because, at the end of the day, my job is to make field goals, so that’s all I’m focused on.”

Packers-Colts Inactives: Jayden Reed Will Play

Jayden Reed is active after landing on the injury report as questionable on Friday.

Reed, who led the team in receptions, receiving yards and total touchdowns during a superb rookie season, emerged after Week 1 ranked No. 1 in the NFL in receiving yards. He scored two touchdowns in the season-opening loss to the Eagles.

“He is a dog, and I mean that in the highest regard,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Friday. “He loves football. He’s such a competitor. You could see it last year, playing through injury. He was beat up pretty good last year and we continued to feed him the football and I could see it on his face, just kind of wincing every time he got hit, just dealing with ribs.

“That’s part of it, but he continues to get up and he battles and he competes and he does it on a daily basis. He doesn’t just show up in the games. He’s a competitor out there on the practice field, so it’s not shocking to me that it translates over to gameday.”

Packers’ Week 1 Winning Streak

The Packers have won 11 consecutive home openers, a streak dating to their 30-22 loss at Lambeau against the 49ers to kick off the 2012 season.

Green Bay’s winning streak is astounding. No other team has won three consecutive home openers.

“It’s always great being back in your home stadium,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “We’ve had four games (this year, including preseason), three of them on the road, so just to come back home and get the support that we have from our fans will be awesome.”

Overall, Green Bay went 5-3 at home last year. Their home-opening streak was in dire jeopardy last year until Jordan Love led a stunning comeback in Week 3 against the Saints.

“It’s going to be big coming home,” receiver Dontayvion Wicks said. “We know it’s going to be loud, it’s going to be full. It’s going to be energizing to see the crowd, be back home, second game of the season. It’s going to be loud. I’m ready to play. I’m ready to get a Lambeau Leap.”

The Colts went 5-3 on the road last year.

“I’m pretty excited,” Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson said of playing at Lambeau. “I hear a lot of stories – Joe (Flacco) told me a couple of stories about going there. He showed us a video of him walking through the tunnel and everything. So, I'm excited. It's early in my career as well, so I definitely appreciate that.”

Gator Bait: Anthony Richardson

Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson had an odd debut. After last week’s 29-27 loss to Houston, he was second-to-last in the NFL in completion percentage but first in yards per attempt, thanks to three completions of 50-plus yards. He threw a stunning touchdown pass that traveled 65 yards in the air.

Has his former Florida teammate, Packers defensive end Brenton Cox, seen anything like it?

“Yeah, all the time,” Cox said. “Pretty much every day he did some amazing stuff. Just happy to see him do it in the Big Leagues.”

Richardson might have the biggest arm in the NFL. He’s also one of the most dangerous runners at the position. He’s bigger than Green Bay’s linebackers and as fast as Green Bay’s defensive backs.

“He’s a good runner,” Cox said. “That’s where he started at at Florida. It’s good to see him throwing the ball over 50 yards now consistently. It’s going to be a good matchup.”

How will the Packers win that matchup?

“We’ve got to hit him. We’ve got to hit him first, then let him do whatever second. The faster we get to him, the easier the game will be.”

Colts Favored Over Packers

The Packers are 2.5-point underdogs at FanDuel. They were 3-point favorites on Saturday, with Jordan Love’s injury baked into the betting cake.

According to The Action Network:

- For just the second time since 2017, the Packers will start a backup quarterback. The last time, of course, was a 13-7 loss at Kansas City in 2021 when Jordan Love started for Aaron Rodgers. But the Packers covered the seven-spread.

- Over the last 20 years, teams listed as an underdog after a neutral-field game are 19-27.

- Including last week, Matt LaFleur’s Packers have been underdogs 33 times. He has covered 22 of those 33, by an average of more than four points per game. That includes 13-3 in the first three weeks.

How to Watch: Colts at Packers

TV: The game will air on Fox, with Joe Davis (play-by-play), Greg Olsen (analysis) and Pam Oliver (sideline) on the call. Will the game be on TV where you live? Here’s the broadcast map.

Streaming: If the game’s not on in your neighborhood, you can stream it via Fubo or NFL+.

Radio: The Packers Radio Network consists of more than 50 stations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. This is Season 26 for Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren.

Steve Levy and Mike Tannenbaum will be on the call for ESPN Radio.

Sirius: Channel 161 or 229 or available on the app.

More Green Bay Packers News

Packers-Colts: Three reasons to believe | Packers-Colts: Three reasons to worry | Analyzing Saturday’s roster moves | Sean Clifford elevated | | Nothing ‘questionable’ about strategy with Love |  NFC North power rankings and previews | Packers-Colts final injury report | Jordan Love’s timeline | Anthony Richardson and Aaron Rodgers’ Hail Mary | Honeymoon’s over for Hafley | More Edgerrin Cooper | Kraft blows past Musgrave on depth chart | Packers are tall, heavy and young (again) | LaFleur’s backup QB history | Odds will be stacked against Jacobs | What channel for Packers-Colts?

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Bill Huber

BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packer Central, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.