4 winners (and 2 losers) for Packers in Week 2 win over Colts

The Green Bay Packers found a way to win without Jordan Love. It required a team effort to make up for Love's absence, and the Packers delivered to pick up a crucial 16-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts at Lambeau Field.

Love is reportedly targeting a Week 5 return. In the meantime, the Packers must do enough to keep their playoff hopes alive, and victory over the Colts is a huge step in the right direction.

It's hard to fault Matt LaFleur and his team, who adapted their game plan to move the ball without Love. Who were the biggest winners and losers from the Week 2 performance?

Winners and losers for Packers after beating Colts in Week 2

Winner: Malik Willis

The Packers couldn't have wished for a better first start from Malik Willis. He has been in Green Bay for less than three weeks, giving him little time to learn the playbook and build chemistry with his receivers. But Willis did everything he needed to, rarely made mistakes, and stepped up with several big-time plays at key moments.

LaFleur didn't ask Willis to do much in the passing game, but when the Packers needed their quarterback, he delivered. Willis completed 12 of his 14 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown, including a crucial third-down connection with Romeo Doubs for 39 yards.

Willis also rushed for 41 yards, some by design and others when the play broke down. It's another element Willis adds to this offense. He made good decisions and, importantly, played clean football without mistakes. It's exactly what Green Bay needed.

Winner: Josh Jacobs

This is why Brian Gutekunst spent big money to bring Josh Jacobs to Green Bay. Indianapolis knew LaFleur would enter the game with a run-heavy game plan, but it didn't matter. Jacobs ran all over Gus Bradley's defense in the first half, putting up 117 yards before the end of the second quarter.

Jacobs carried the ball 32 times, punishing the Colts' defense with 151 yards on the ground. His day could've been even better—Jacobs had a touchdown called back for a penalty and fumbled on the goal line to lose a chance for six. But the Packers can have no complaints about his performance. Jacobs put the offense on his back and made play after play.

Winner: Matt LaFleur

LaFleur is arguably the most underrated coach in the league. His early success was played down because he "had Aaron Rodgers." The narrative changed somewhat after helping Jordan Love reach an MVP level last season, and he deserves his flowers for this Week 2 performance.

He had the perfect game plan. LaFleur got creative with the run blocking and found ways to stretch the Colts' defense horizontally with Jayden Reed. The Packers dominated time of possession in the first half, holding the ball for almost 24 minutes compared to just six for the Colts. LaFleur made life comfortable for Willis and found ways to generate explosive plays on the ground and through the air.

The Packers held the ball for 40 minutes overall. LaFleur deserves so much credit for the offensive performance in Week 2.

Winner: Jeff Hafley

The Packers couldn't rely on the new-look offense to win the game alone. It would take a monumental effort from Jeff Hafley's defense, a week after struggling to slow down the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil.

Hafley delivered, with Green Bay restricting Indianapolis to 10 points. His unit forced three turnovers and could've had more. Quay Walker dropped an interception on the Colts' final drive, and the Packers also forced a fumble on Jonathan Taylor that went out of bounds before they could recover it.

Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson completed just 50 percent of his passes for 204 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions, earning a passer rating of an awful 41.8.

There are still areas to fix, such as a run defense that allowed 140 yards at 7.8 yards per attempt, but it's hard to fault Hafley. His unit stepped up in a big way.

Loser: MarShawn Lloyd

MarShawn Lloyd can't catch a break. He left the game early due to an ankle injury and couldn't return. It's the latest injury concern for the rookie, who missed the start of training camp due to a hip issue and then suffered a hamstring injury in the preseason opener. This was Lloyd's first game back.

Lloyd carried six times for 15 yards in his NFL debut. Hopefully, he is OK and doesn't have to miss any more time.

Loser: Eric Stokes

Eric Stokes didn't suffer an injury, but he saw his snap counts decrease in the second half in favor of Carrington Valentine. The second-year corner replaced Stokes in the starting lineup in the second half, but the Packers didn't announce an injury, which indicates it was a coaching decision by Hafley. Valentine was still in for Stokes on the Colts' penultimate drive, and Stokes only returned after Valentine limped off the field just after the two-minute warning.

It's something to monitor.

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