Colts at Packers: 3 things we learned
By John Buhler
The Indianapolis Colts shocked the Green Bay Packers on Sunday evening, 31-26. Here are the three biggest takeaways from this game.
In one of the bigger upsets of Week 9, the Indianapolis Colts upended the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field on Sunday evening, 31-26. Indianapolis gets one win closer to .500 at 4-5. Green Bay has lost three of four to slide to 4-4.
There is a lot to digest from this game, but here are the three biggest takeaways form the Colts’ road upset victory of the Packers in Lambeau.
1. Green Bay may not make the NFC Playoffs
With the Packers falling to 4-4, we have to begin to wonder if Green Bay is good enough to make the NFC Playoffs? The championship window in Green Bay has officially closed. 2015 might have been the first signs of it, but we can’t deny it any longer: Green Bay is middle of the pack and nothing more in 2016.
That might be good enough to get the No. 6 seed in the NFC Playoffs if the NFC East cannibalizes itself in the second half. Teams like the Detroit Lions and the New Orleans Saints have forced their way into the NFC Playoff conversation.
Detroit could end up winning the NFC North if the Minnesota Vikings continue to struggle. New Orleans may have the offensive firepower to get that No. 6 spot out of the NFC South. In short, we just can’t guarantee that the Packers are one of the six best teams in the NFC any more. Top eight, sure, but top six might be pushing it.
2. Andrew Luck may not be an all-timer
The strangest part about the Colts being able to win in Lambeau was that Andrew Luck didn’t play very well. He completed 23 of 36 passes for 281 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, running the ball seven times for 15 yards.
For the former No. 1 overall pick out of Stanford, when is he going to pop and be the best quarterback in football like many expected him to be? It may never happen. From the looks of it, his body language is not great. He should be ecstatic that the Colts won in Green Bay, but Luck secretly probably hated his performance.
He’s trying too hard to carry this team and isn’t letting the game come to him. Luck is fortunate that Green Bay’s roster is in cahoots and that Frank Gore can continue to pound the rock.
At 27 years old, Luck might be more like Jim Plunkett than John Elway when it comes to the Stanford quarterback hierarchy? That doesn’t mean he won’t win Super Bowls. He’s just not looking like the next superstar at the position. Hype is a horrible thing.
3. You can’t blame Aaron Rodgers if he’s unhappy
Luck may not have liked his play on Sunday, but Aaron Rodgers can’t buy a meaningful win in Green Bay this season. He is carrying this lackluster offense that general manager Ted Thompson assembled through weak compensatory picks.
If Green Bay isn’t willing to give Rodgers marquee free agents in the offseason while he’s still in his prime, would it be all that shocking if he wants out of Green Bay? He played fantastically last week against the Atlanta Falcons and nearly held off the upset on Sunday despite Green Bay struggling in the first half.
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He can’t lean on his running. Rodgers would prefer to move the chains with his legs himself. He can accept own physical limitations rather than what Thompson has put out for him on a cardboard platter. Rodgers is not aloof, he’s frustrated. Could you really blame him?