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By: PACKER REPORT
Alec Courtier
5 Takeaways From Packers vs Colts
The Packers have picked up their first win in the Preseason, beating the Indianapolis Colts 23-19 today in Lucas Oil Stadium. Here are five things to takeaway upon first glance of the game.
1. The Number Two Defense Showed Up
The first thing that jumped out during the game today was that the Colts’ came out with not only their number one offense, but their number one defense as well. The Colts would start Daniel Jones alongside star Running Back, Jonathan Taylor, and some good receivers in Michael Pittman, Adonai Mitchell, as well as their first round pick in Tight End, Tyler Warren. While the number two defense was the first unit out there, they stood tall, limiting the Colts’ first team offense to only three points. This was a huge boost on all phases today as the defense was flying all over just as the starters did during the joint practice. Multiple players stood out, including Linebacker, Kristian Welch, Cornerback, Bo Melton, Defensive Lineman, Nazir Stackhouse, Defensive Lineman, Deslin Alexandre, and Safety, Kitan Oladapo to name a few of them. The Packers’ defense will carry this momentum into practice this coming week, where the Seattle Seahawks will come to town for a joint practice, and the last game of the Preseason.
2. Malik Willis
Malik Willis was commanding the number two offense on the first drive of todays’ game the best he could. Two fourth down conversions, including an amazing scramble to find Tight End, John FitzPatrick for the first down, would headline a drive that saw rookie Kicker, Mark McNamee miss a 39 yard field goal. Besides Willis and his play, the offense had many penalties that were stalling the drives. In his three drives, Willis would go 6/14 for 83 yards, and no touchdowns, but also no interceptions. The biggest play of the day for Willis through the air was to veteran Receiver, Mecole Hardman for 27 yards. The slot corner seemed to be in communication still when the ball was snapped, and Willis saw it from the jump to take advantage of the slow reaction time from the defense. Willis is locked in at Quarterback two on the roster, so seeing solid play out of him was a big plus for the Packers today. Seattle coming to town will present a new challenge for Willis, as the Preseason wraps up next week.
3. Running Back Room
The room that stood out the most on offense today was arguably the Running Back room. Not only did Israel Abikanda score, so did Amar Johnson, as the room looked good top to bottom of those who played in todays’ game. Marshawn Lloyd was back in a big way as well, with the Packers getting him as many touches as possible before a tackle would give him hamstring tightness, causing him to sit out the rest of the game. Emanuel Wilson would fumble, but bounce back with really solid play after that, and then a bulk of Abikanda, as well as Johnson carries would take over the offense. The Running Back room gained a lot of momentum amongst them today, and they’ll look forward to keep it rolling this coming week.
4. Penalties
The drive stallers came out in a big way today for the Packers. Multiple big plays were taken off the board due to penalties that are disciplinary penalties. Packers 2nd round pick, Anthony Belton, had five on his own in the first half, but that quickly shaped up after Matt LaFleur had enough of the undisciplined mistakes. After the team came out from halftime, a near gear seemed to be found. The Packers went from an absurd eleven penalties in the first half as a team, to only one in the second half. The game flipped completely once the second half started, and the Packers were able to stop stalling their own drives. Cleaning those up and responding in the way that the team did was a positive sign, so hopefully the clean play carries into next week, as well as the season.
5. Taylor Elgersma
Taylor Elgersma was finally let loose today for the Packers. The “Canadian Cannon” as he’s known back in Canada, where he won the “Canadian Heisman” got a lot of the playing time at Quarterback today, where he learned a lot. Starting out, there were multiple plays where Elgersma needed to get the ball out earlier than he was, which led to multiple sacks and pressures that could have been avoided. As the game continued and Elgersma got more comfortable, the ball started coming out quicker. Ultimately, Elgersma would lead the offense on a comeback from 13-3 to a 16-16 tie before coming out of the game for Sean Clifford to go finish it off. As for the final stats, Elgersma would finish 7/11, for 109 yards, no touchdowns, but no interceptions either. The rookie UDFA out of Laurier College grew a lot today, and it will be exciting to see him apply what he learned in the Seattle game.
Overall, a win is a win. It might not have been the cleanest first half, but that’s why there is four quarters in a game. The Packers bounced back in a big way, and will look to carry that momentum with them this upcoming week, as well as the regular season.
