Colts Hold On For 31-26 Win Over Packers

By ESPN

Frank Gore rushed for two touchdowns, Jordan Todman had a tone-setting 99-yard return on the opening kickoff and the Indianapolis Colts held on late for a 31-26 win on Sunday over the Green Bay Packers.

Andrew Luck shook off two interceptions in the first quarter to finish with 281 yards passing and a touchdown. The Colts, who had allowed an NFL-worst 31 sacks coming into the game, gave their quarterback decent protection.

Indianapolis (4-5) heads into a bye week with a confidence-building victory after surviving a vintage Aaron Rodgers comeback.

His 3-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb with 3:29 left got Green Bay (4-4) within five, capping a 14-point spurt in 4-plus minutes.

Rodgers finished 26 of 43 for 297 yards with three scores and an interception.

The Colts held on after a clutch throw from Luck, who dodged a potential sack by blitzing safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to throw a 20-yard pass on third-and-10 with 3:07 left.

Luck also found T.Y. Hilton for a 27-yard completion on third-and-2 with 2 minutes left to put the game away.

Luck finished 23 of 36, throwing both interceptions to safety Clinton-Dix.

But the shifty Luck maneuvered out of other tight spots including a 7-yard scramble on a bootleg on third-and-1 with 37 seconds left in the second quarter. He deftly engineered a 15-play, 96-yard drive that ended with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Donte Moncrief with 11 seconds left to give Indianapolis a 21-10 halftime lead.

The score drew a smattering of boos from Packers fans.

Familiar problems surfaced early for the Packers, who lost their second straight game. The offense had trouble getting going until the frantic fourth quarter.

But the defense gave up at least 30 points for a second straight game, and special teams also hurt them.

Sunday, November 6 Scoreboard

Baltimore 21, Pittsburgh 14

Dallas 35, Cleveland 10

Kansas City 19, Jacksonville 14

Miami 27, New York Jets 23

New York Giants 28, Philadelphia 23

Detroit 22, Minnesota 16 (OT)

Carolina 13, Los Angeles 10

New Orleans 41, San Francisco 23

San Diego 43, Tennessee 35

Indianapolis 31, Green Bay 26

Oakland 30, Denver 20

Monday, November 7 Schedule (Time Central)

Buffalo at Seattle, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 10 Schedule (Time Central)

Cleveland at Baltimore, 7:25 p.m.

Sunday, November 8  Schedule (All Times Central)

Green Bay at Tennessee, noon

Minnesota at Washington, noon

Chicago at Tampa  Bay, noon

Kansas City at Carolina, noon

Atlanta at Philadelphia, noon

Los  Angeles at New York Jets, noon

Denver at New Orleans, noon

Houston at Jacksonville, noon

Miami at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Dallas at Pittsburgh, 3:25 p.m.

San Francisco at Arizona, 3:25 p.m.

Seattle at New England, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, November 14 Schedule (Time Central)

Cincinnati at New York Giants, 7:30 p.m.