Maggie’s Pre-Game Six Pack – 2024 Week 2

After a tough loss in Brazil, the Packers are well-rested and ready for the home opener at Lambeau Field on Sunday. It’s a noon kickoff against an unfamiliar AFC opponent, the Indianapolis Colts. It’s the first time the Packers will face an AFC team in the home opener since 2014. Here are six things to keep in mind going into Sunday’s contest. 

1. Keep the Streak Alive

The Packers currently hold the longest winning streak in home openers in team history, and the longest current winning streak in the NFL, having won 11 straight home openers dating all the way back to 2013. There are four teams tied for second-longest streak, and that sits all the way back at three. 

When the Colts get to the game on Sunday, it’ll be their first trip to Lambeau Field since 2016. The last three times the two teams faced, both teams have scored over 25 points. All three contests were also one-score games, so the margin for error is slim. In 2020, the last time the Colts and Packers played, the game ended in overtime with the Packers falling just short, losing 34-31. 

This will be Colts head coach Shane Steichen’s first time playing the Packers. He owns a 9-9 record entering his second NFL season, while LaFleur sits at 56-28 in his sixth year coaching Green Bay. 

2. Red Zoned Out

The Packers went 1-of-5 on trips to the red zone last week, scoring a touchdown only once. While they still managed to put up 29 points, they lost a close game that was well within their grasp had they converted just one additional red zone trip and Brayden Narveson made his field goal attempt. 

Green Bay also struggled on third downs, converting only three of 11 attempts. Staying ahead of the chains is going to be critical against another offense with big-play ability. In contrast, the Colts were able to score touchdowns on two out of three red zone trips for a 66.7% success rate. That ranked eighth in the league compared to Green Bay’s 20% (27th in the league). 

On the flip side, both defenses had their share of struggles defending in the red zone. The Packers allowed the Eagles to convert half of their possessions, while the Colts allowed a 100% success rate for the Texans. Houston made three trips inside the red zone and scored touchdowns every time. 

In a game where points may be hard to come by for the Packers should backup quarterback Malik Willis need to start, finishing drives in the red zone is going to be paramount to success. Willis will also need to lean on the other two phases of the game for help, hoping the defense can get a few stops and special teams can give the offense decent starting field position. 

3. Making Magic With Malik 

The Packers have kept Jordan Love’s status pretty close to the vest, and while it’s likely gamesmanship on LaFleur’s part, there is a slight possibility that Love could suit up against the Colts, assuming his injury is more minor than was initially reported. Still, that’s a big IF,and while the Packers will give Love every opportunity to play, it’s much safer to assume Willis will be the quarterback under center on Sunday. 

Willis is an interesting prospect because, one, he doesn’t have a ton of NFL game experience under his belt. And two, he’s unlike any quarterback LaFleur has had in Green Bay. While Willis has a strong arm and can theoretically make all of the throws he’ll need to, he’s a dynamic runner and opens up LaFleur’s playbook to a lot more run-pass options. 

Willis started two seasons at Liberty where he threw for 5,122 yards, 47 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. He added 1,822 yards with his legs and 27 rushing touchdowns. 

In the NFL, Willis made three official starts for the Titans but had played in 11 total games before coming to Green Bay. He has yet to throw a touchdown in the league but has three picks in 67 attempts. Willis did score a rushing touchdown in 2022 and averaged 4.5 yards per carry as a runner. 

The playbook will certainly look different than what we’d expect to see if Love was starting, but the offense still has the weapons to help Willis be successful at Lambeau. Creativity with jet sweeps, RPOs, and end arounds will help Willis get the ball into his playmakers’ hands. 

4. Colts Run O

The Colts have been a dangerous rushing team since drafting Jonathan Taylor in 2020. Taylor eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards as a rookie and put up over 2,000 scrimmage yards with 20 touchdowns in 2021, earning him All Pro honors. Since then, Taylor has failed to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards but has also missed time each season with injuries. Still, he has the ability to make a house call at any time. 

Then, Indianapolis added quarterback Anthony Richardson to the mix. If you watched highlights from the Colts game in Week 1, you likely saw a quarterback with an exceptional arm who can make all of the “wow” throws but will also miss some easy throws. Richardson is equally dangerous with his legs. And that’s where things will get tricky for the Packers on Sunday. 

Taylor had a modest outing against the Texans, rushing 16 times for 48 yards with one touchdown, averaging 3.0 yards per carry. Richardson added six attempts for 56 yards with a rushing score of his own, averaging 9.3 yards per attempt. Most significantly, though, nine of Indy’s 14 first downs came on rushing attempts. 

If the Packers can’t stop the run on Sunday, they likely won’t be able to get off the field. Even still, it was a quiet day for the Colts offense, putting up 199 yards through the air and only 104 yards on the ground. Green Bay will need to limit the Colts’ ability to sustain drives, something they struggled to do in Brazil against the Eagles. 

5. Colts Run D

But, now let’s talk about the Colts run defense. Indianapolis allowed 213 rushing yards last Sunday against Houston. The Texans ran the ball 40 times against the Colts, averaging 5.4 yards per attempt. It was a completely lopsided game, with Houston owning time of possession 40:00 compared to 20:00 by Indianapolis. 

The Packers should be able to exploit this on Sunday at Lambeau Field. While Josh Jacobs started a bit slow in Week 1, he finished the game rushing 16 times for 84 yards, picking up four first downs and averaging 5.3 yards per attempt. Emanuel Wilson also added 46 yards on only four carries, giving him an average of 11.5 yards per carry. Of course, there was Jayden Reed’s lone rushing attempt, too, that went for 33 yards and a touchdown. All of that to say, the Packers actually rushed for more yards than the Eagles did in Week 1, with Green Bay rushing for 163 yards and Philadelphia rushing for 144 yards. 

The Eagles averaged only 3.8 yards per carry on a whopping 38 attempts in Week 1. Meanwhile, the Packers were able to put up 7.8 yards per attempt on only 21 carries. Rushing lanes will be available against this Colts front on Sunday, assuming the Packers offensive line can create those lanes. 

6. Falling In Line

So let’s talk about this offensive line. Zach Tom picked up right where he left off in the season opener. The right tackle ranks second out of 67 eligible tackles, per Pro Football Focus, with an elite grade of 92.0. He earned a 93.2 in run blocking and a solid 85.0 in pass blocking. Tom didn’t allow a single quarterback pressure all game. Also deserving of flowers is Elgton Jenkins, who locked things down at left guard. On 38 pass-blocking snaps, Jenkins didn’t allow a pressure or quarterback hit, either. He was Green Bay’s third-highest graded Packer with a 78.4 overall grade. 

There’s some room for optimism, too, when it comes to rookie right guard Jordan Morgan. While he shared reps with Sean Rhyan this week, Morgan put together a solid NFL debut. He was PFF’s fifth-highest graded Packer in his debut, earning an overall grade of 67.7. He allowed one pressure and one quarterback hit during his 28 snaps played. For comparison’s sake, Rhyan posted a grade of 59.8 in 42 snaps, allowing a quarterback hit and pressure just like Morgan. 

At center, Josh Myers had the grueling task of blocking Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter all game. Still, he had a tough outing and finished the night drawing one penalty and allowing two quarterback pressures. He was PFF’s 30th ranked center (out of 32 candidates) with an overall grade of 50.1. Yes, it’s only a one-game sample size, but that would be the lowest season grade of his career. 

Finally at left tackle, Rasheed Walker had his fair share of struggles. He was flagged for two penalties, allowed one sack, and had four quarterback pressures against the Eagles. He did much better in pass protection (66.0) than he did run blocking (53.8), but there’s a lot he’ll need to clean up after his impressive playoff streak that earned him the starting left tackle gig. 

While Pro Football Focus certainly isn’t the gospel, their numbers do help to validate the eye test we place the team under when we watch and rewatch the games. Andy Herman, who has his own grade scale for the Packers, had Jenkins as his top graded lineman of the week while both Walker and Myers made it into his bottom three players on offense. 

The Colts had four sacks last week against the Texans, so the Packers o-line is in for another stout test this week against DeForest Buckner, Tyquan Lewis, and Kwity Paye. (It’s worth noting that Buckner and Paye are both on the injury report and did not practice Wednesday or Thursday.)