Packers vs. Colts NFL Week 5 Preview

By Kevin Van Pelt

Brian Spurlock- US PRESSWIRE

 

The Green Bay Packers are coming off a big win last weekend to bring their record at 2-2 and will be going up against the Indianapolis Colts who are coming off a bye week. This game will provide an interesting matchup between a young Colts offense vs. a young Packers defense.

During the draft this offseason, the Packer put their full emphasis on drafting defensive players. So far, the dedication to improving the defense has paid off as Green Bay has shown early on that they have a championship caliber defense. Clay Matthews has been moved back to his original position as the right outside linebacker which has made him already equal the amount of sacks this season that he had all of last year.

While the points allowed per game and the yards allowed per game have been much better for the Packers this year, they have not forced a turnover in three of their four games. This is the same team that led the league in takeaways last season and are always close to the top ever since defensive coordinator Don Capers joined the team. While the lack of turnovers is a surprise, this is a great weekend for the Packers aggressive defense. The Colts have rookie quarterback Andrew Luck as their starter and Green Bay’s style of defense is perfect going against rookie quarterbacks. Earlier in the year the Packers went up against rookie quarterback Russell Wilson and while the defense didn’t force any turnovers, they held him to 130 yards passing on just 10 for 21 passing. There were also a couple of interceptions by the defense that were taken away due to bad calls by the replacement officials.

As for the Colts, they did the complete opposite of what the Packers did this offseason in their draft. They focused on the offensive side of the ball. With Peyton Manning no longer on the team, the Colts were clearly in a re-building mode getting Luck with their first overall pick and then getting weapons to surround him.

Even though there is a ton of young talent on the Colts offense and the Packers offense, the biggest matchup may be between two veterans, Colts receiver Reggie Wayne and Packers cornerback Tramon Williams. Wayne has been the one consistent target that Luck has looked to and if Williams is able to shut him down, the Colts offense will have a hard time scoring any points. Williams is one of the best press-coverage corners in the league and his matchup with Wayne will be a good one to watch.

The biggest mismatch in this game will be the Packers offense going against one of the worst defenses in the league in the Colts. Indianapolis has allowed 27 points a game so far this season and has only had one interception so far this season. Their defense struggles to create and turnovers and have only had seven sacks so far which helps the Packers offense since they have struggled to protect Aaron Rodgers this year.

The Packers may have more good news for their offense as running back James Starks may be coming back from his turf toe injury that he suffered during the preseason. The running game for Green Bay has struggled to get going this season as Cedric Benson has only averaged 3.6 yards per carry and the Packers want Starks to get back on the field this week as they are hoping the split backfield will helping improve the running game.

 

Follow me on Twitter @KVP_10

Share On FacebookShare StumbleUpon

You May Also Like