Indianapolis Colts hold off Green Bay Packers

With the game slipping away, Andrew Luck delivered a pair of daggers.

With the Green Bay Packers scoring back-to-back touchdowns to pull within 31-26, Luck made key third-down passes to tight end Jack Doyle and receiver T.Y. Hilton in the final three minutes to preserve the Indianapolis Colts' victory.

"Really proud of our guys," Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. "This team, they don't quit, they don't lay down, they don't listen to the noise. They just continue to work and work and work and work. It was a great ball game, it was a hard-fought ball game. We found a way to make enough plays. Huge play at the end of the game. (Luck) made two unbelievable plays there."

The Colts (4-5) have alternated wins and losses since starting the season 0-2. They rebounded from a blowout home loss to the Chiefs last week by jumping on the Packers from the start with Jordan Todman's 99-yard touchdown return of the opening kickoff.

"Difficult, disappointing home loss," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "Indianapolis jumped on us from the first play and we frankly never got it back. It's the key stops is what we needed on defense and we didn't get that. Difficult loss. That's two home losses (and) that doesn't sit well with anybody."

The Packers (4-4) appeared to get their offense in gear the previous two weeks, but they took several steps in the wrong direction Sunday. Against an Indianapolis defense that entered the game ranked 29th in total defense, 31st in passing defense and 28th in scoring defense, the Green Bay offense sputtered until a late rally.

Aaron Rodgers finished 26 of 43 for 297 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, but he had only 169 yards through three quarters.

Green Bay's offensive problems could be summed up on a third-and-6 early in the fourth quarter, when Rodgers threw incomplete on a deep pass to Jordy Nelson against double coverage.

"Right now, we've got to score more than 26 points to win a game like that," Rodgers said. "We felt comfortable that they weren't going to be able to stop us a whole lot. We just kind of stopped ourselves. We started off with uncharacteristically low energy for whatever reason, and then didn't really respond well early in the game for whatever reason. They obviously had the first play of the game a touchdown and then a semi-backbreaker before the half to put them up two scores. But we have to respond better, like we did to close out the game."

The Colts all but put the game away on the ensuing possession. Luck hit Donte Moncrief for 39 yards on the first play, and Frank Gore barreled through the defense for his second touchdown of the day, this one a 4-yarder that made it 31-13 with 9:35 remaining.

The Packers made things interesting late. Rodgers' 40-yard completion to Davante Adams set up Rodgers' 2-yard touchdown toss to Adams. Cornerback Patrick Robinson broke up the two-point play, leaving the score 31-19.

After Green Bay forced a three-and-out, Rodgers went 7 of 7 on an 80-yard scoring drive, hitting receiver Randall Cobb for a 3-yard touchdown to make it 31-26 with 3:29 left.

The Colts, however, survived. On third-and-9, Luck shook off blitzing safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and threw a strike to Doyle for a gain of 20. Moments later, on third-and-2, Luck lofted a pass to Hilton for 27 yards to seal the deal.

"Great job up front, first of all," said Luck, who threw for 281 yards to offset two first-half interceptions. "You know they're bringing everybody and they blocked it up and we had enough time to get it do T.Y. and on the other play (to Doyle). Guys fought their butts off all day long. They really did a heck of a job. When we had to make a play, we did."

The Colts took command late in the first half. Starting at their 4, they drove 96 yards in 15 plays for a touchdown and a commanding 24-10 lead. The key was a third-and-9 from the 5.

With the Packers getting the ball to start the second half, Green Bay appeared poised to swing the momentum if it could get a third-down stop. Instead, Luck hit receiver Phillip Dorsett for 13 to launch an impressive scoring drive. Luck punctuated the march with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Moncrief with 11 seconds left in the half. The fans serenaded the Packers with boos as the team went in for halftime.

It didn't get any better for the Packers to start the second half. Rodgers had the Packers driving toward the end zone but was intercepted by Darius Butler. Green Bay's next possession entered the red zone, but the Colts slammed the door. Mason Crosby's 27-yard field goal made it 24-13 with 1:46 left in the third quarter.

The Colts led 14-10 after an eventful first quarter, kick-started by Todman's return. The Packers answered with a field goal.

Indianapolis added a touchdown, with Luck making downfield connections to Dorsett, Hilton and tight end Dwayne Allen. A misdirection pitch to Gore resulted in an easy 7-yard touchdown for a 14-3 lead.

Clinton-Dix intercepted Luck on the Colts' next possession. On the final play of the quarter, Rodgers hit Nelson for a 26-yard touchdown. Rodgers coaxed the Colts offside and threw a bullet to the corner of the end zone, with Nelson using his body to prevent Butler from making a play on the ball.

On the first play of the second quarter, Todman returned the kickoff 61 yards. Adam Vinatieri's 28-yard field goal bumped the Colts' edge to 17-10.

NOTES: KR Jordan Todman's touchdown return was the first for the Colts since Week 17 of the 2012 season, when Deji Karim took one back 101 yards vs. Houston. Todman entered the game with 74 career returns and a long of 59 yards. ... The Packers' inactives list included OLB Clay Matthews (hamstring) for a second consecutive week. WR Randall Cobb, who missed last week's game with a hamstring injury, was active but didn't play until the second half. ... Four starters were on the Colts' inactives list, including G Jack Mewhort and defensive tackle Kendall Langford. ... S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who had no interceptions this year before Sunday, also had two interceptions in the 2014 NFC Championship Game. ... Packers QB Aaron Rodgers had a streak of 133 consecutive passes without an interception until he was picked off by Colts CB Darius Butler.

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Report: Colts OG Jack Mewhort believed to have torn ACL

The offensive line of the Indianapolis Colts has long been an area of concern. Things just got worse, as offensive guard Jack Mewhort is believed to have torn his ACL during Sunday’s shootout against the Detroit Lions.

Since being selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Mewhort has started 31 games. He was one of the strongest performers on a rather dismal line before this injury.

In addition to being a capable pass protector, Mewhort will be missed in the running game as well.

The Colts are razor thin in terms of talent on their offensive line. It looks like it might be up to rookie Joe Haeg, who was selected in the fifth round of this year’s draft, to take over.

Pass protection a concern in Indianapolis

The Indianapolis Colts are well aware their Super Bowl hopes are largely dependent on the arm of quarterback Andrew Luck and keeping Luck healthy throughout the season is a top priority as a rsesult.

That's why the offensive line's performance in Saturday's exhibition loss to the Chicago Bears, in which Luck was sacked once and hit two other times early in the game, is a concern.

“We’ve got to be able to protect the quarterback,” Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said, per ESPN. “Pass (protection) at times was okay and at times has got to be better, got to get it shored up.”

After investing money and draft picks upgrading the offense by adding wide receivers Andre Johnson and Phillip Dorsett, along with running back Frank Gore, the Colts chose to stand pat along the offensive line, with the notable exception of the addition of veteran guard Todd Herremans. Second-year lineman Jack Mewhort, who played guard last season, is the team's new right tackle, taking over for Gosder Cherilus, who released just prior to the start of training camp.

Mewhort surrendered a sack Saturday to Bears linebacker Pernell McPhee. On the next play, McPhee got by Mewhort again, forcing Luck into an incomplete pass. 

“It’s crippling when you go out there as a tackle and you give up a bad sack like that on the second play of the game,” Mewhort said. “You can’t start fast when a guy is on top of the quarterback. That’s on me. I have to go back to the grindstone and get better and make sure I have to give Andrew time to make plays.”

After the early struggles, the offense settled in and Luck was able to lead the Colts on 89-yard drive that culminated in a touchdown. 

Pagano preached patience with Mewhort, citing the time it takes to adjust to playing tackle in the NFL.

“You know he’s a second-year player, we lose sight of the fact that he’s a second-year player," Pagano said. "There’s going to be growing pains and we need to find out what we can do to accentuate our strengths.”