In second half, Indy defense rises up to throttle Green Bay
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis defense may have turned Aaron Rodgers into a true believer Sunday.
Others around the league should take note, too.
After allowing three touchdown passes and 28 firsthalf points, the Colts held one of the NFL’s highestscoring teams to three secondhalf points, forced a key fumble less than a minute into overtime, and set up Rodrigo Blankenship’s decisive 39yard field goal for a 3431 win over the Green Bay Packers.
“We actually talked in the first quarter and he made it a point to say he didn’t mean it as any disrespect to me,” Pro Bowl linebacker Darius Leonard said, referring to a comment Rodgers made during the week. “I told him I didn’t really take it as a disrespect, I took it as a challenge to go out and earn your respect. I told him I look for whatever motivates me because that’s my ultimate goal: To win the game and earn the respect of your opponent.“
Mission accomplished — twice.
Leonard and his teammates certainly lived up to their No. 1 defensive ranking over the final 33 minutes. They forced three fumbles and had an interception. They held Aaron Jones to 41 yards rushing on 10 carries. And they limited Green Bay ( 73) to 18 offensive snaps over the final twoplus quarters.
Indianapolis ( 73) did it with an oldschool combination: An offense that played keepaway and a defense that came up with two three-and-outs in the third quarter and a fourthdown stop late in the fourth.
Yet in this wacky game, it almost still wasn’t enough.
Five holding penalties allowed Rodgers to get one more shot in regulation, starting at the 6yard line with 85 seconds left. Then on 3rd-and-10 he hooked up with Marquez Valdes-Scantling for 47 yards.
Six plays later, Mason Crosby hit a 26yard field goal to tie the score with three seconds left.
So when the Packers won the coin toss and took the ball, it seemed they had all the momentum as Leonard started talking to himself.
“When the games get close you’ve got to want to make a play,” he said. “You have to be the one to go out there with no fear and no doubt in your mind that you’re going to make a play. I was basically saying this is my time to go. If you get an opportunity you’ve got to make a play.“
The opportunity came on the Packers’ second play in OT when rookie safety Julian Blackmon split two blockers and stripped the ball from ValdesScantling. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner recovered the fumble and Blankenship won it moments later.