Andrew Luck against Aaron Rodgers.

 

Two of the NFL's best quarterbacks will take center stage on Sunday at Lambeau Field, However, neither Luck's Colts nor Rodgers' Packers have played to expectations at the season's midpoint. Sunday's game could be a turning point for the winner.

Indianapolis is 3-5. After opening with back-to-back losses, it's alternated wins and losses the next six weeks and is coming off a 30-14 home drubbing at the hands of the Chiefs.

 

Green Bay is 4-3. It's lost two of its last three games, with the lone win coming against Chicago, which played most of the game with its third-team quarterback.

 

There is a feeling of optimism, however, for the injury-plagued Packers. They lost on a last-second touchdown at Atlanta last week despite not having their top two running backs (Eddie Lacy and James Starks), top three cornerbacks (Sam Shields, Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins), two of their wide receivers (Randall Cobb and Ty Montgomery), premier defender (Clay Matthews) and their primary tight end (Jared Cook).

 

Much of the optimism revolves around Rodgers. After an unproductive start to the season, Rodgers over the past two weeks ranks third in passer rating, second in completions and first in touchdown passes.

 

Rodgers will face a Colts defense that has proven vulnerable against the pass. Indianapolis ranks 31st with 287.8 passing yards allowed per game. While former Packers linebacker Erik Walden has six sacks, the Colts just haven't made enough plays defensively. They've allowed a 66.8 percent completion rate with 14 touchdowns vs. two interceptions.