Indianapolis, IN
Green Bay Packers scouting report vs Indianapolis Colts in Week 2
The Indianapolis Colts head to Lambeau Field, where the tundra won’t be frozen as they meet the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 action. Both teams are looking for their first victory of the season.
The Colts are coming off an odd 29-27 loss to the Houston Texans, who rolled up 417 yards (213 rushing) and had possession for 40 minutes. Anthony Richardson had the fewest completions among Week 1 starters (9), but a league-best 11.2 yards per attempt, including three completions of at least 50 yards.
Green Bay started the season in Brazil, losing to 34-29 to the Philadelphia Eagles. They also lost starting quarterback Jordan Love to an MCL sprain in the closing seconds. The Packers’ defense was vulnerable (410 yards allowed), but their rushing offense was potent (7.8 yards per carry).
Colts vs Packers injury report: Jordan Love does not practice, while Colts have longer list
Malik Willis steps in as Packers quarterback
Love is likely out this week, so Malik Willis is scheduled to step in. The Packers traded for Willis from the Tennessee Titans late in the preseason. The Titans drafted Willis in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but played little for them. He threw 61 passes as a rookie and 5 in 2023. His next touchdown pass will be his first in the NFL.
Green Bay has Super Bowl hopes behind Love, who justified its bold decision to pick him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft with a breakout 2023 season. He had 64.2% completions for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as the Packers earned a wild-card playoff berth and led the San Francisco 49ers in the closing minutes of a divisional playoff game.
Scouting the Packers offense
Green Bay averaged a league-best 7.8 yards per carry and gained 414, third most in Week 1.
The Packers added running back Josh Jacobs, the 2022 NFL rushing leader for the Las Vegas Raiders whose production dropped off in 2023 (805 rushing yards, 37 catches, 6 TDs in 13 games). He replaces Aaron Jones as the RB1, and gained 84 yards in the opener.
Green Bay’s receiving corps and offensive line are considered adequate, with room to grow. Jayden Reed starred in Week 1, with 4 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown, and also a 33-yard touchdown run. Packers QBs were sacked just twice in Week 1.
Pro Football Focus gave Reed and right tackle Zach Tom Team of the Week grades from Week 1.
Scouting the Packers defense
Green Bay allowed the 4th-most yards (410) in Week 1 but had the most takeaways (3).
Green Bay has a strong group of pass rushers, with Rashad Gary (9 sacks in 2023), Preston Smith (8), Kenny Clark (7.5) and run stuffer T.J. Slaton returning.
Quay Walker leads the Green Bay linebackers (118 tackles in 2023, 11 in Week 1), and cornerback Jaire Alexander and safety Xavier McKinney each had an interception against the Eagles. Second-round safety Javon Bullard is already contributing (11 tackles).
Who is Green Bay’s kicker?
Brayden Narveson, who was 3-of-4 in the opener. He wasn’t even in Packers training camp. The rookie was strong for the Tennessee Titans in the preseason (6-of-7 field goals, long of 59 yards), and Green Bay claimed him off waivers. (Nick Folk has been Tennessee’s kicker for an eon.)
Greg Joseph and incumbent kicker Anders Carlson didn’t make the cut.
Green Bay has the NFL’s best kick returner over the past two seasons in Keisan Nixon (26.1-yard average in 2023), and with a renewed emphasis on kickoff returns, his presence looms larger.
When do the Colts play in Week 2?
1 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.
What channel are the Colts on against the Packers?
TV: Fox, Joe Davis (play-by-play), Greg Olsen (analysis) and Pam Oliver (sideline reporting)
Radio: 93.5, 97.1, 107.5 FM in Indianapolis, with Matt Taylor (play-by-play), Rick Venturi (analysis) and Larra Overton (sideline reporting)
Streaming: SiriusXM Channels 384, 813, Fubo (free trial)
Indianapolis, IN
Jonathan Taylor reflects on dropping the ball before the end zone
DENVER (WISH) — It looked like the Colts were going to take a controlling 20-7 lead early in the second half.
Jonathan Taylor had just ripped off a 41 yard touchdown run. However, after a review, that was overturned.
Taylor dropped the ball right before he crossed the goal line when he was running into the end zone. The ball went out of bounds for a touchback and the Broncos got the ball.
“You go over those scenarios, but it just can’t happen no matter the game,” Taylor said. “No matter the scenario. You could be up by 50, down by 50, playoff game, first game of the season. That should never happen.”
The Broncos went on to score 24 unanswered points and won, 31-13.
Taylor took it upon himself to apologize to the team as well.
“I just told them, I apologize and I just know that that will never happen again,” Taylor said. “That never happened to me before and it will never happen again.”
After the review ruled that he dropped the ball before the goal line, numerous Colts players came over to give Taylor a pat on the shoulder. Zaire Franklin and Anthony Richardson came over to talk to Taylor. A few offensive linemen went over to pat Taylor on the shoulder.
“It was a mistake,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said. “Obviously, it hurt us but he’s one of our leaders and sometimes that happens in football. But, he’s our guy. That’s where it’s at.”
The Colts (6-8) will host the Titans next Sunday, December 22 at 1 p.m. They are two games behind the Chargers for the last wild card spot in the AFC.
More Colts coverage
Turnovers cost Colts game in pivotal loss to the Broncos
Former Colts icons attend game against Broncos
Here’s what Chuck Pagano thinks about the altitude in Denver
COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF
Tune in at 11 a.m. on WISH-TV on every Colts Sunday for Countdown to Kickoff with News 8 sports director Anthony Calhoun, former Colt Ken Dilger, Chuck Pagano, Colts Insider Kevin Bowen, and live hits from the stadium.
The only television postgame show airs right after the game with Anthony Calhoun and former Colt Marlin Jackson.
Indianapolis, IN
Death investigation from October ruled a homicide
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An death investigation from October has been ruled a homicide, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said.
IMPD was called just to a death investigation to a home on Chateugay Drive, near I-69 and County Line Road, Oct. 19, 2024 around 8 p.m.
At the home, officers found Alisa Raufeisen, 24, dead at the scene from injuries consistent with trauma.
Dec. 12, the Marion County Coroner’s Office ruled Raufeisen’s death to be a homicide.
IMPD is continuing to investigate her death.
Indianapolis, IN
I’m a journalism student in Indianapolis: Here’s how IndyStar acted on my feedback
Meet IndyStar Visual Journalist Grace Hollars
‘What better person to tell a Hoosier’s story other than a Hoosier herself?’ Meet the person behind some of your favorite photos and videos
USA TODAY Network
Editor’s note: IndyStar formed a 17-member Reader Advisory Panel this year, inviting community members for four monthly discussions on how the newsroom can better deliver its mission of service to Indianapolis. We invited members to write about the experience afterward.
As a student studying journalism here in Indianapolis, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in the IndyStar reader advisory panel over the summer months.
Not only is it refreshing to see such an influential force in local media put real time and effort into connecting with its readers, but it was a learning experience on both ends of the conversation about the state of journalism in our city.
Something I’ve learned while studying journalism these past few years is that Indiana is considered a “news desert.” According to the University of North Carolina database, Indiana has seen a decrease of more than 40% in news circulation since 2004. This generally means that a lot of citizens are consistently relying on the same few media outlets to bring them news they find important and meaningful.
Each meeting, we’d bring issue’s we’d experienced as readers with the IndyStar to the table. These concerns were heard by editor Eric Larsen alongside an amazing team of IndyStar staff members who were willing to collaborate with us as we pitched out ideas for improvements and discussed why these ideas were important to us.
Everyone had different ideas on what could be improved, and the staff were respectful and understanding when explaining why things are the way they are. Whether a lack of resources or reader interest is holding IndyStar back from reporting in different areas, they would let us know, and we’d pitch ideas to help cover wider groups of people without straining their resources.
The consensus on what changes we want to see at IndyStar? Well, it was all pretty individual. Every panel member had ideas for what they want to see more or less of, or even ideas on how the IndyStar app could be made more worthwhile to its users.
Overall, we could all agree on the fact that us as readers want to know our local reporters better. We want to see them in the community and engage with them they way we were able to engage with IndyStar members in these meetings.
It’s safe to say, in my opinion, that IndyStar is already taking steps in the right direction in engaging its readers, considering they invited us back month after month, even if we criticized their work right to their faces.
In Indiana especially, it’s important that we understand that we can not expect good journalism if we do not continue to encourage good journalism.
I’m appreciative that IndyStar provided this opportunity to seek improvement from those who it effects the most, and I’m excited to see some worthy improvements be implemented to one of our news outlets here in Indianapolis.
Kylee Leahy is a senior majoring in journalism at Indiana University Indianapolis.
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