Keys to the Game (Nov. 22)

The Green Bay Packers (7-2) travel to take on the Indianapolis Colts (6-3) at 3:25 p.m Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. FOX televises the game.

Coaches

Green Bay — Matt LaFleur, second season (20-5). Indianapolis — Frank Reich, third season (23-18).

History

Colts lead 23-20-1. The Packers are 0-4 all-time in Indianapolis; their last road win came at Baltimore in 1974.

When the Packers have the ball

This will be the biggest test of the season for Aaron Rodgers and Co. by a wide margin. The Colts enter week 11 ranked fourth with 19.7 points allowed per game, first with 290.4 yards allowed per game, third with 3.53 rushing yards per attempt, first with an opponent passer rating of 78.9, second with an interception rate of 3.85% and seventh with a sack rate of 7.34%.

Or, put another way, running backs aren’t finding any room, and quarterbacks aren’t finding anyone open. Needless to say, after a spotty offensive performance vs. Jacksonville, the Packers will have to play with much higher efficiency.

The Colts run a 4-3 scheme under coordinator Matt Eberflus. It’s the best tackling group in the NFL. While the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, there is one star at each level.

The defensive line is led by tackle DeForest Buckner, who was acquired in a trade from the San Francisco 49ers. He has 2.5 sacks and a team-high 16 quarterback hits. The other tackle is Grover Stewart, who relishes the dirty work vs. the run.

The defensive ends are Justin Houston and Denico Autry. The underappreciated Autry, who mostly will face right tackle Billy Turner, leads with six sacks and seven tackles for losses. Defensive end Tyquan Lewis has 3.5 sacks off the bench.

At linebacker, Darius Leonard might be the best in the business. In six full games, he’s tallied 10-plus tackles three times. For the season, he has 60 tackles, one sack, four tackles for losses, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. As a rookie second-round pick in 2018, he led the NFL with 163 tackles and added seven sacks. In 2019, he had five interceptions and five sacks. In two-and-a-half seasons, he’s produced 17 turnover plays with his seven interceptions, seven forced fumbles and three recoveries.

He is joined by Anthony Walker and Bobby Okereke. Okereke has broken up four passes.

Former Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes has had a rebirth in Indianapolis. The other corner is Rock Ya-Sin, with Kenny Moore manning the slot in the nickel package. The safeties are Khari Willis and rookie Julian Blackmon. Rhodes, Blackmon, Moore and fourth corner T.J. Carrie have two interceptions apiece. Rhodes leads the way with 10 passes defensed. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s allowed only 18-of-42 passing.

“We talk a lot about the cumulative effect,” Reich said. “When you take every guy on the roster and you count guys on the practice squad and the cumulative effect of who has the best team – now, do I think we have some star power? Yeah, I think we have some star power, but it still comes down to the cumulative effect of the whole team.”

When the Colts have the ball

Slowly – perhaps frustratingly slowly for fans – Green Bay’s defense has shown signs of rounding into form. It enters this week ranked 15th with 24.9 points allowed per game but ninth in total defense. The Colts’ offense is good but not great, ranking 14th with 26.9 points per game.

Veteran quarterback Philip Rivers has lit up the Packers during a Hall of Fame-worthy career that has him fifth all-time in passing yards and sixth in passing touchdowns. His average performance in four games while with the Chargers is 29-of-44 passing for 373 yards, with 2.3 touchdowns vs. 1 interception. In year one in Indy, Rivers is on pace for his eighth consecutive season of 4,000 passing yards but is only 22nd with a passer rating of 93.6.

Rookie second-round pick Jonathan Taylor, the record-breaking back from Wisconsin, is the starting running back. While he leads the team with 428 rushing yards, he’s averaging just 3.8 yards per carry, and his playing time has decreased. In week two, he rushed 26 times for 101 yards and one touchdown vs. Minnesota. In his last three games combined, he’s carried 24 times for 61 yards. He played a season-low 17 snaps last week vs. Tennessee and averaged 1.7 yards on seven tries.

In that same game, Nyheim Hines, a fourth-round pick in 2018, played 39 snaps and averaged 5.8 yards on 12 attempts while adding five catches for 45 yards.

Rivers spreads the ball around. Hines leads the team with 33 receptions and four touchdowns. Receivers Zach Pascal (26 receptions, 330 yards), T.Y. Hilton (26 receptions, 291 yards) and Michael Pittman (21 receptions, 236 yards), Taylor (22 receptions, 203 yards) and tight end Mo Alie-Cox (20 catches, 293 yards) all have 20-plus catches.

Fellow tight end Trey Burton, a Super Bowl hero with the “Philly Special” while with the Eagles, has 18 receptions in his six games since starting the year on injured reserve. While Hilton, a four-time Pro Bowler who led the league in receiving yards in 2016, is the big name, rookie second-round pick Pittman is the player to watch with seven receptions for 101 yards last week.

The offensive line of left tackle Anthony Castonzo, left guard Quenton Nelson, center Ryan Kelly, right guard Mark Glowinski and right tackle Braden Smith is strong. Nelson vs. Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark will be a heavyweight battle.

The Colts are No. 1 in sack percentage allowed, and Pro Football Focus has charged that group with just three sacks. Continuity has been huge; they’ve started eight of nine games together. It’s a highly regarded unit but the Colts are a woeful 29th with 3.76 yards per carry and 30th on third down.

Special teams

If the challenges on offense and defense aren’t enough, the Colts boast one of the top special teams in the league, as well. Green Bay’s kicking units, which have allowed a blocked punt and a touchdown return in recent weeks, will have to step up its game in a big way.

Punter Rigoberton Sanchez has a strong leg. He’s averaging 47.5 yards per punt with a net of 41.1, as the coverage unit has allowed just 5.2 yards per runback. He has had one kick blocked.

Rookie kicker Rodrigo Blankenship is 19-of-21 on field goals. He doesn’t have any attempts from 50-plus yards this year but was 6-of-9 from long distance at Georgia.

This would be a good week for Packers kicker Mason Crosby to return to kickoff duty so he can blast the ball out of the end zone. Isaiah Rodgers is averaging a whopping 29.8 yards per return and has a 101-yard touchdown. The do-it-all Hines is averaging 8.9 yards per punt return.