Packers beat Colts, Willis thrives with help from defense

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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 15: Josh Jacobs #8 of the Green Bay Packers runs with the ball against the Indianapolis Colts during the first quarter at Lambeau Field on September 15, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Image

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GREEN BAY, Wis. - Malik Willis threw his first career touchdown pass, Josh Jacobs had 151 of Green Bay’s 261 yards rushing and the Packers withstood the absence of injured quarterback Jordan Love to beat the Indianapolis Colts 16-10 on Sunday.

Indianapolis (0-2) cut the Packers' lead to 16-10 on Anthony Richardson's 4-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Pierce with 1:47 left, but Green Bay's Evan Williams recovered the ensuing onside kick. The Colts got the ball back at their own 5-yard line with 43 seconds left, but Williams intercepted a Hail Mary attempt from the Indianapolis 41 to end the game.

Richardson was 17 of 33 for 204 yards, but threw three interceptions. He ran for 37 yards on four carries.

Love didn’t play after injuring his left medial collateral ligament during the final series of a 34-29 season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 6 in Brazil. It was the first game Love missed since taking over as Green Bay’s starting quarterback last year.

His injury pressed Willis into duty less than three weeks after the Packers acquired him from the Tennessee Titans. Willis had made three previous career starts – all in 2022 – and hadn’t thrown for as many as 100 yards in any of them.

With help from a ground attack that dominated the first half, Willis played an efficient game and went 12 of 14 for 122 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks. Brayden Narveson went 3 of 4 on field-goal attempts to account for Green Bay’s other points, and Jacobs had 32 of the Packers' 53 carries.

Indianapolis' Jonathan Taylor rushed for 103 yards on 12 attempts, but didn't touch the ball in the fourth quarter.

The Packers didn’t need Willis to throw the ball much early on because they were running wild against the Colts’ porous defense, enabling them to take a 10-0 lead in the first quarter

Green Bay gained 164 yards rushing in the first quarter alone, the highest first-quarter total for any NFL team since the Denver Broncos had 167 in the opening period of a 41-23 loss to the New England Patriots on Dec. 18, 2011. By halftime, the Packers had 237 yards rushing on 34 carries.

Indianapolis was coming off a 29-27 loss to the Houston Texans in which they had allowed 213 yards rushing, the highest total any team had given up in the season’s opening week.

Green Bay had 135 yards rushing from six different ball carriers before finally reaching positive passing yardage for the game, on Wicks’ touchdown.

The score remained 10-0 at halftime because Green Bay blew a chance to break it open early in the second quarter when Jacobs fumbled on first-and-goal from the 4. Zaire Franklin forced the fumble that Laiatu Latu recovered in the end zone.

Indianapolis’ run defense stiffened in the second half, but the Colts couldn’t come all the way back because their offense failed to capitalize on opportunities.

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After Matt Gay’s 34-yard field goal cut the Packers' lead to 13-3 with 4:32 left in the third, the Colts drove inside Green Bay's 30 on their next series and had a chance to make it a one-score game.

But on a third-and-1 play to open the fourth quarter, McKinney stopped Trey Sermon for a 4-yard loss. Gay sent a 50-yard attempt wide left on the next play.

Narveson delivered his third field goal on Green Bay’s next series to make it 16-3.

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