Mistake-fest football leads to Packers loss in OT to Colts

 

I’ve said for the past couple of weeks that the Colts were not a team for the Packers to trifle with, given that Philip Rivers was still playing like he had some gas left in the tank. But as well Rivers played against the Packers, he was not the principle reason why the Packers lost this game, 34-31 in overtime. What lost this game was what  has explained poor play against one-win teams: turnovers, ill-timed penalties, special teams mistakes, and head-scratching play calling.

In the first half, the Packers managed to take would looked like a “safe” lead at 28-14, since the Colts failed to capitalize on Aaron Rodgers’ fumble and interception. But in the second half, the Colts did take advantage of a plethora of mistakes that was only tempered by the defense forcing three field goals to go along with a touchdown as the Colts took a 31-28 lead, and had the ball on first down with 2:17 to play in regulation.

The Packers just could not get out of their own way for almost the entire second half. As last week in a near loss to the one-win Jaguars despite Rodgers’ on paper serviceable numbers, we saw questionable play-calling, such as running on second-and-long, passing short on second and third-and-long, and passing deep on third-and-short. Two three-and-outs to start the second half, and then a fumble on a kickoff return. On their next drive, a 14-yard run by Jamaal Williams to the Colts 29 was nullified by a holding penalty, and soon afterwards, instead of trying for a game-tying field goal at the 34, Rodgers misfired on fourth-and-1.

With the game still within reach, the Packer defense allowed the Colts to convert on fourth-and-4 with under two minutes to play. The Packers managed to get the ball back with 1:22 to play after wasting a timeout, and got into position with the help of a 47-yard pass play to Marquez Valdes-Scantling. But with time running out at the Colts 8-yard-line, Rodgers went to a well-covered Davante Adams instead of a wide open Robert Tonyan, settling for a game-tying field goal.

And then again disaster struck, as Valdes-Scantling fumbled on the second play of overtime. Again, it was a head-scratching call to begin with; why-oh-why does Matt LaFleur have this fetish for passes thrown behind the line of scrimmage? Rodgers can’t be excused either, because the ball was thrown slightly behind the receiver, and this is the kind of play where the receiver must immediately be thinking of yards-after-the-catch. After that, it was just a matter of running a few plays before the Colts kicked the game-winning field goal.

The second half of this game was just a colossal hot-mess for the Packers almost from start to finish. This was a game that despite the inept play on offense, the Packers were just one play or one less mistake away from escaping with a win. Last season if the Packers did any one thing particularly “right,’ it was avoiding making the bonehead mistake. This season, it is just part of the “game.”