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Colts Walk-Off Packers in Overtime

After allowing three touchdown passes and 28 first-half points, the Indianapolis Colts held one of the NFL's highest-scoring teams to three second-half points, forced a key fumble less than a minute into overtime and set up Rodrigo Blankship's decisive 39-yard field goal for a 34-31 over the Green Bay Packers.

 

Defensive leader Darius Leonard and his teammates certainly lived up to their No. 1 defensive ranking over the final 33 minutes. They forced three fumbles and an interception. They held Aaron Jones to 41 yards rushing on 10 carries. And they limited Green Bay (7-3) to 18 offensive snaps over the final two-plus quarters.

 

Indy (7-3) did it with an old-school combination: An offense that played keep-away while the defense came up with two three-and-outs in the third quarter and a fourth down stop late in the fourth.

 

Five holding penalties allowed Rodgers to get one more shot in regulation, starting at the 6-yard line with 85 seconds left. Then on third-and-10 he hooked up with Marquez Valdes-Scantling for 47 yards. Six plays later, Mason Crosby hit a 26-yard field goal to tie the score with 3 seconds left.

 

So when the Packers won the coin toss and took the ball, it seemed they had all the momentum.

The opportunity came on the Packers second play in OT when rookie safety Julian Blackmon split two blockers stripped the ball from Valdes Scantling.

 

Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner recovered and Blankenship won it moments later.

 

Rodgers was 27 of 38 with 311 yards, three TD passes and one interception. Davante Adams had seven catches for 106 yards and one score while Jones rushed for another score.

 

Philip Rivers led the Colts back from a 14-point halftime deficit by going 24 of 35 with 288 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, Former Wisconsin star Jonathan Taylor had 22 carries for 90 yards.

 

The Packers hope to rebound next Sunday night when they host the longtime rival Bears.

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