Green Bay Packers: 3 X-Factors against the Indianapolis Colts
By Paul Bretl
Here are three X-Factors for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday when they take on the 6-3 Indianapolis Colts.
A win is a win. And although it wasn’t pretty, the Green Bay Packers are coming off a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars that moved them to 7-2 on the season. They are now up three games on Chicago in the loss column in the NFC North and also hold the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
This week they head to Indianapolis to face a 6-3 Colts team that is leading the AFC South and is looking like they will be one of Green Bay’s tougher opponents this season. Led by a stout defense, the Colts will challenge the Packers in all three phases of the game.
As I do each week, I’ve put together my three X-Factors for Sunday’s matchup. You’re never going to see Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, or Za’Darius Smith in these articles; we all know the stars have to perform. Rather, it’s my goal to highlight the non-stars whose high-level of play can leave a major mark on the game.
However, this week, I went in a different direction. Instead of focusing on three specific players, I’ve taken a broader approach because it’s going to take more than just a few guys to come away with the win in Indianapolis.
Slowing the Colts RBs in the Passing Game
As I just said, I could have picked out one player, but this responsibility falls on the entire Packer defense. Phillip Rivers does not hold on to the ball very long, just 2.49 seconds on average, to be exact, which is the fourth-lowest in the NFL this season. He gets the ball out quick and oftentimes to his running backs.
Out of all running backs this season, Nyheim Hines is fifth in the NFL with 33 receptions and fifth in total yards as well with 265. Meanwhile, rookie Jonathan Taylor – On Wisconsin, sorry about that – has 203 receiving yards, which is the 15th most and 22 total receptions. The Green Bay Packers need to find a way to at least limit the Colt running backs in the passing game, force Rivers to hold on to the ball longer, which, as we’ve seen over his career, can lead to interceptions.