It’s a situation that Packers coach Matt LeFleur is all too familiar with.
Left shorthanded, without key players.
The deck stacked against him and the Packers.
Been there, done that LeFleur can say.
Against a team, most people, thought would defeat the Packers.
Without his starting Quarterback, Jordan Love, LeFleur created a gameplan that worked.
What Matt LeFleur did
Matt LeFleur did what any coach would do without its star QB.
he created a game plan for Malik Willis to feel comfortable and played to his strengths.
LeFleur used a heavy running game against a Colts defense that struggled stopping it.
In fact, by the time the first half was over, the Packers had rushed for 164 yards.
Furthermore, they gave Josh Jacobs the ball and by the time the 2nd quarter rolled around he was over 100 yards.
When is came to coming up with schemes to confuse the Colts, LeFleur said, “We had a variety of schemes up.”
He continued by giving credit to his coaching staff, ” You’ve got to give a lot of credit to (offensive coordinator) Adam Stenavich and all our coaches.”
The Packers ended the day with 53 carries, 32 of which were by Jacobs.
Additionally, the Packers had 261 total yards on the ground.
Willis on the other hand did what he needed to do.
He ended the day 12 for 14 for 124 yards and 1 touchdown.
While those numbers aren’t “superstar” numbers, it was enough to get the Packers the victory.
The defense
While offense controlled the clock with the running game, the defense did its part.
For the second week in a row Xavier McKinney had an interception.
Colts Quarterback Anthony Richardson threw 3 interceptions.
The defense shut down Richardson and the Colts offense in the first half.
By the time the second half come around, the Packers defense continued to find way to stop the Colts offense.
This is the type of defense that Packers fans have been waiting for.
One that the offense can depend on if they are sputtering.
Through 2 games the Packers have 5 turnovers.
Last year that had 7 total.
While no one wanted to see Love injured, this put pressure on Jeff Hafley and defense.
Not only did they rise to the occasion, they stepped up, especially against the Colts.
Conclusion
All week the Packers were underdogs against the Colts.
Nobody gave them a shot at winning this game.
But with LeFleur’s gameplan, you can always have a chance.
He has done it before, with the same gameplan.
Think I am lying?
Just take a look at the 2021 match-up against the Arizona Cardinals.
Same game plan, just different players.
Matt LeFleur needs to get his flowers and one day he’ll get them.
With performances like this, LeFleur will keep adding to what is an impressive resume.
