By Bob McGinn, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel –
INDIANAPOLIS — They never even try to hammer people, they can’t stop teams when it matters and even a patchwork secondary such as the one thrown together by the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday no longer needs to live in fear of Aaron Rodgers.
Ten months after reeling off 19 victories in a row, the big, bad Green Bay Packers no longer intimidate anyone and they can’t even protect a 21-3 halftime lead against a once-proud franchise starting over from scratch.
The wholesale collapse concluded when Mason Crosby basically choked, wildly hooking a 51-yard attempt that would have forced overtime.
It was the second miss for Crosby in a flat, disjointed, puzzling performance by the Packers, a seven-point favorite. Though less talented, the Colts just seemed to want it more and, in the end, they richly deserved their 30-27 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“We’ve got the ability but we’re playing bad football,” defensive end Ryan Pickett said. “We play well in spots and then we just die. We’re not a good team.”
At 2-3, the Packers sit two games behind Chicago and Minnesota in the NFC North and are tied for the ninth-best record in the NFC. The last three times they started 2-3 or worse, they finished 6-10, 8-8 and 4-12.
A stunning 7-1 on the road one year ago, the Packers fell to 0-2 this year with a rugged away schedule ahead starting with Houston in a week.
“We know how to beat adversity, man,” said linebacker Erik Walden. “It’s a gut-check now. . . a gut-check.”
It was fitting that the final indignity came from the foot of Crosby, one of the team’s more dependable players. Some of the team’s bell cows, from Rodgers to Jordy Nelson to Clay Matthews to Charles Woodson to Tramon Williams, either fizzled or didn’t play to their standards, either.
To borrow an oft-used word from the political arena, it was an outrage for Packers fans far and wide.
“I feel like we underachieved, to be frank,” said Packers coach Mike McCarthy. “And it starts with me.”
Some of the offensive linemen wondered what McCarthy was up to by throwing on his first seven calls of the second half. It got him an interception and a punt, giving the moribund Colts hope and probably creating doubt among his players.
Later, it was a 41-yard gain — yes, on a good, old-fashioned running play — by Alex Green that provided the Packers a brief 27-22 lead. Then a monumental cave-in by the defense enabled Andrew Luck to drive 80 yards for the winning touchdown.
“We’re up 21-3 at halftime and we sort of changed our game plan in the second half and we couldn’t do (expletive),” an obviously angry guard T.J. Lang said. “They knew all we were doing was throwing the ball so they were coming with everything they had.”
The Colts, 2-14 a year ago, overwhelmed Rodgers, his blockers and McCarthy’s scheme in the second half. The five sacks, their most in a game since Week 4 of 2009, were the result of Rodgers’ indecision on two and Marshall Newhouse, Tom Crabtree and Jeff Saturday just getting beat on the three others.
Cedric Benson’s departure (mid-foot sprain) on the fourth play of the second quarter hurt. So did the losses of B.J. Raji (ankle) a series later and Jermichael Finley (shoulder) early in the third quarter.
However, the Colts were far worse off starting the game, and with their ragtag roster it should have been too much for them to overcome against what was thought to be a playoff-caliber team.
Not only were they missing their two left guards, the starting center sat out and right guard Mike McGlynn left early in the third quarter. His replacement, Tony Hills, was activated Saturday from the practice squad after being with the Colts for 19 days.
Still, Matthews and the defensive front couldn’t unhinge Luck. The Packers often surrounded the poised rookie and popped him a few times, but they intercepted him just once and couldn’t overcome his powerful will to win.
“He’s going to be (great),” said Walden. “You’ve got to give him credit. He’s not a No. 1 pick for nothing.”
Not only doesn’t Luck have a creditable line, he has only one standout receiver. You’d think a veteran defense with a savvy coordinator such as Dom Capers could contain one weapon, but Reggie Wayne had other ideas.
In that 80-yard drive to glory, Luck twice found Wayne available in the heart of the defense for third-and-long conversions. After another 18-yard shot to Wayne, Luck bowed up and charged head-long into a pair of tacklers at the 4 to make a third-and-7 by a foot.
Then Wayne, matched against Williams, showed the Packers one last time what raw desire is all about. With the cornerback draped on his back at the 2, Wayne just wouldn’t go down, stretching the ball across for the winning margin.
Linebacker Robert Mathis, the Colts’ best defensive player, left with a sprained knee at the 13-minute mark. With his knee braced up, he still led cheers for a victory he rated among his finest in a 10-year career.
“This ranks up there,” said Mathis. “Good inspiration. Guys just got the job done for our head coach.”
If the Colts were rabid about winning one for coach Chuck Pagano, who was diagnosed with leukemia Monday, it wasn’t noticeable in their tepid first half. But once Rodgers was intercepted by Jerraud Powers on the third play of the third quarter, the Colts stormed the castle.
“A band of brothers just came together,” interim coach Bruce Arians said. “The team just overcame something that no one gave them a shot to do. It became a storybook ending, and we got a game ball for Chuck.”
Minus starting cornerback Vontae Davis and nickel back Justin King due to injury, the Colts filled with Cassius Vaughn and ex-Packer Josh Gordy. As expected, Rodgers found gaping holes against these free agents, but just not enough to put the Colts away.
In the first half, Rodgers overthrew Nelson deep on a likely 67-yard touchdown before Donald Driver and Finley dropped passes near midfield that led to two of Tim Masthay’s seven punts.
In the second half, Rodgers scattered passes high and wide amid the sacks and overall slovenly play. Even with 8 seconds left at the Colts 33 and McCarthy having called a play to give Crosby shorter range, Rodgers bungled the clock and had to blow the last timeout.
“We’re just not doing the fundamental things right,” said Pickett. “We’re just not. It’s a game we should have won.”
Was noise from the crowd of 67,020 even a factor? Nope, said Lang, recognizing that constant yelling by thousands of Cheeseheads had given the Packers almost home-field environment.
So the Packers still have never won in Indy. Call them 0-4 in Indiana and now at the crossroads of their season.
“We’re going to have to win,” Pickett said, referring to the Sunday night game at Reliant Stadium vs. Houston. “We’ve got no choice. And they aren’t going to feel bad for us, either.”
