Anthony Richardson believes the Indianapolis Colts might have been too hasty on offense in their season-opening loss to the Houston Texans.
“Last week, we were thinking about shots, shots, shots,” the Colts quarterback said. “We got a little bit trigger happy with that.”
The Colts (0-1) will aim to be more patient on Sunday when they face Green Bay in a game where the success of each team’s running game could be crucial.
Green Bay (0-1) might be without quarterback Jordan Love, who hasn’t practiced this week after hurting his left medial collateral ligament in the final minutes of the Packers’ 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil.
If Love can’t play, Malik Willis will start for the Packers, just a few weeks after Green Bay traded for him from the Tennessee Titans. Willis, a 2022 third-round pick, has only made three career starts, all in his rookie season, and did not pass for more than 100 yards in any of those games.
“I’m just trying to put in as much time as I need to feel comfortable and just make sure that whenever my number is called, I’m ready,” Willis said.
Both teams are looking to avoid falling behind early after losing their first games.
Green Bay gained 414 yards, which was the third-highest total by any NFL team in the opening week, but hurt itself with 10 penalties and missed red zone chances against Philadelphia. The Colts lost 29-27 to the Texans and allowed 213 rushing yards.
Indianapolis will need to improve its run defense on Sunday to have a good chance of beating the Packers, who ran for 163 yards on just 21 carries against the Eagles. Josh Jacobs, the 2022 NFL rushing leader with Las Vegas, gained 84 yards in his Packers debut.
“You’ve got to put your body on him,” Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin said. “He’s a good player. I think he’s definitely one of the premier backs in this league.”
