Aaron Rodgers throws three touchdowns in win over Colts
Either Green Bay’s offence was too strong or Indianapolis’ defence was caught napping, but Aaron Rodgers tossed three touchdowns and the Packers went on to rout the Colts 59-24 at Lambeau Field on Thursday night.
The Packers looked sharp and meticulous and played at a higher level than we have seen over their first two weeks of the pre-season.
“When we get into a rhythm like we have this pre-season on offence, we’re going to be tough to stop,” said Rodgers, who threw for 195 yards in the first half. “It’s fun.”
Rodgers is becoming a top-tier quarterback in this league and expectations are high in Green Bay this season as a result. His pre-season numbers are solid, having completed 77.4 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and zero turnovers.
Green Bay play sound football in all three aspects of the game. But it was particularly surprising to see their special teams score a timely touchdown late in the second quarter to put the Packers in front 21-17. They never trailed again.
Punter Tim Masthay hit a 45-yard punt with 5.0 second hang-time deep inside the Colts’ 8-yard line, and returner Brandon James muffed it and had the ball bounce off his shoulder pads and rolled into the end zone, where it was recovered by Korey Hall for a touchdown.
Then in the fourth quarter, with less than five minutes remaining in the game, undrafted free agent Jason Chery had a 75-yard touchdown return.
Meanwhile, the Colts (0-3) got beat up in more ways than one and it was a costly night for Indianapolis. Running-back Joseph Addai left the game midway in the third quarter after being diagnosed with a concussion, and veteran linebacker Gary Brackett left the game with a hand injury.
Addai downplayed his injury after the game, saying that he was rattled after being tackled, but insisted that he was fine after that. “Really, they didn’t do any tests, they didn’t need to,” Addai said. “I was fine. If I needed to go back in, I could’ve.”
Colts head Coach Jim Caldwell said that Addai is questionable for the Colts’ pre-season finale, but wasn’t overly concerned about his star running-back or about the score. “It wasn’t 59 points against our starters, it was 59 points overall,” Caldwell said.
Manning, who threw for 214 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, shared Caldwell’s belief about the lopsided score.
“Obviously the score got away at the end, which is certainly possible in the pre-season; you’re playing a lot of young guys,” Manning said. “Offensively, some things we did well, but as with most pre-season games, some things that we can certainly improve on.”
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