How do the Packers match up against the Colts?

Packers Offense vs. Colts Defense Green Bay’s offense was the biggest reason the team found its way into the divisional round of the NFC playoffs a year ago. That offense is going to look very different on Sunday afternoon when the Packers take the field. Jordan Love left Friday’s game with an MCL injury that will keep him out anywhere from three to six weeks depending on recovery. Malik Willis was acquired at the end of training camp for minimal draft compensation, and according to Jay Glazer, he will be the starter when the team takes the field for their home opener. Willis had two dropbacks in desperation mode on Friday night. He skipped one throw to Romeo Doubs and was sacked on a potential Hail Mary attempt. Willis is a pretty big unknown. The team that knew him gave up on him for next to nothing, and he’s been in Green Bay for less than a month. The reliance in this game is going to be on the run game and Josh Jacobs. Jacobs comes from Las Vegas and won the rushing title two years ago. Last year was not as productive for Jacobs as he held out for all of training camp. Jacobs is hoping to rediscover his form, and after a slow start, he found some footing against the Eagles. Jacobs ended up running for more than 80 yards on 16 carries, and really found a rhythm after halftime. The Packers are going to need the second half version of Jacobs almost immediately when Sunday’s game starts. With all due respect to Willis, this is a tough situation for him to be in. Jacobs was brought in to be a stabilizing force in the backfield and a bit of a workhorse. His workload likely got heavier with the loss of Love. How much remains to be seen, but expect a heavy dose of No. 8 on Sunday. AJ Dillon was set to be part of a dynamic tandem, but he is injured and will miss the season with a neck injury. Emanuel Wilson was the next man up in his place. He was impressive on one series, piling up 37 yards on three carries. He showed good patience and explosion. Marshawn Lloyd missed Friday’s game with a hamstring injury. Perhaps the Packers will need him back on Sunday while playing with a backup quarterback. Ellis Merriweather was called up from the practice squad but did not receive any carries. The offensive line is where the Packers have the most transition. David Bakhtiari was an opening day starter. He’s gone. His replacement, Rasheed Walker, had a rough start to the season on Friday night. He gave up four pressures according to Pro Football Focus. That matched up with what the eye test would have said as well. After a strong training camp, Walker is looking to bounce back against the Colts. Sean Rhyan and Jordan Morgan were in a rotation on Friday night, with about a 60/40 split in favor of Rhyan. It remains to be seen if that will remain the same with Morgan another week removed and some experience under his belt. The run blocking got better as Friday’s game progressed, and they’ll need to be ready from the get-go when the Packers face off against the Colts. This is where Indianapolis’s defense struggled the most against CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans. Joe Mixon had a big day, running wild for more than 150 yards and averaging nearly six yards per carry. If the Packers can run the ball, that will be a huge first step to playing without Jordan Love. Packers Defense vs. Colts Offense Green Bay’s defense undertook a major facelift this offseason. Joe Barry is out. Jeff Hafley is in. The room was buzzing with optimism surrounding the hire, and the hopes that they’ll be able to think less and hunt more. It’s safe to say the honeymoon period is over for Hafley. Maybe that isn’t fair, but the reality is with a backup quarterback, Hafley’s group is going to be relied on more to help win the game for the team as opposed to just keeping them in it. They did a good job on Friday night in forcing turnovers. Xavier McKinney and Jaire Alexander both pulled down interceptions. Devonte Wyatt recovered a fumble. The negative stuff came when they did not force a turnover. The Packers only forced two punts on Friday night but were clubbed for more than 400 yards of offense. To be fair, the Eagles’ offense is very talented. AJ Brown, Devonta Smith and Saquon Barkley are one of the hardest trios in football to defend. The Packers failed their first test. They’ll face a similar challenge this week on the ground. Anthony Richardson is a force in the run game. Jonathan Taylor is someone anyone around Wisconsin will be familiar with. He’s one of the league’s top running backs, and the Colts will likely want to lean heavily on him against Green Bay’s porous run defense. Tackling will likely be a focus for the Packers this week as well. The tackling was horrendous on Friday night and led to several drives being extended for the Eagles. It will be interesting to see if Edgerrin Cooper has an expanded role after only playing 11 snaps on Friday night. The linebackers could use an upgrade in speed and athleticism, especially against Richardson. In the secondary, the main man to focus on is Michael Pittman Jr. He’s been the go-to receiver since his breakout year two years ago in Indianapolis. Alec Pierce had a big touchdown reception on a beautiful throw from Richardson as well. The pass rush for the Packers will need to be significantly better than it was Friday night. For all the pomp and circumstance surrounding it, the Packers allowed Jalen Hurts to have too much time to throw. Their only sacks of the night came from Rashan Gary when Lane Johnson thought the play was blown dead, and Keisean Nixon in a scramble drill. This group has too much money and draft capital invested in it to not be better. That needs to start Sunday against Indianapolis. Special Teams The Packers did not have many chances in the return game for Keisean Nixon a week ago. Jayden Reed was the team’s primary punt returner, but the defense only forced two punts. Reed returned neither one. Green Bay’s kicking situation is a work in progress. Brayden Narveson made most of his kicks last week but did miss a makeable field goal in the team’s 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Colts’ situation at special teams is a mixed bag. They ranked 15th a season ago in Rick Gosselin’s special teams rankings. For comparison’s sake, Green Bay finished 29th. There was not some sign Friday night that looked like they had taken a major leap forward, but it’s hard to draw conclusions of anything based on one game.