Packers vs Colts: Green Bay's Biggest Winners & Losers from NFL Week 5

It was a tale of two halves for the Green Bay Packers who blew a first-half 21-3 lead.

The Packers gave up 19 uncontested points after halftime and eventually fell to the Indianapolis Colts 30-27.

The Packers had an opportunity to tie the game with a missed 51-yard field goal with just seconds remaining, but the biggest issue was blowing a 18-point lead.

Winner: Randall Cobb

Randall Cobb is so dangerous with the football in his hands, the Packers simply have to feed him more often.

Cobb displayed his effectiveness on a second-half reception when he turned a pass from Aaron Rodgers into a 31-yard touchdown.

On the day, Cobb had four receptions for 82 yards, but especially with Greg Jennings missing from the defense, there were missed opportunities to get him the football more often.

In addition to missing Jennings, the Packers also lost running back Cedric Benson, but still did not give Cobb a single carry.

It's understandable that the Packers want to keep Cobb fresh for his kick-return duties, but when he does play on offense, there has to be a more concerted effort to get him the football.

Loser: Charles Woodson

It was not a happy birthday for the 15-year NFL veteran on Sunday.

In the second quarter Charles Woodson was called for defensive pass inference on a play in which receiver Reggie Wayne still made a circus catch and helped set up a Colts touchdown.

Later in the quarter, Woodson was called for defensive holding, which at the time, the Fox television announcers pointed out was a category of penalty Woodson led the NFL in over the past two seasons.

Woodson certainly was not solely responsible, but Reggie Wayne had 13 receptions for 212 yards on the day and hurt the Packers several times over.

Winner: Alex Green

When Cedric Benson went down with an injury during the first half of Sunday's game, the Packers needed somebody to step up at running back.

That person was Alex Green who had nine carries for 55 yards, an average of 6.1 yards per carry.

His day was highlighted by a 41-yard run in the fourth quarter as the Packers were attempting to come from behind to re-gain the lead.

At the time, Green's long run set up a Packers' final touchdown of the game, which briefly gave them a 27-22 lead.

Green's 41-yard rush was the longest of the year for the Packers.

Loser: Mason Crosby

Granted, they were long field goals, and it wasn't Crosby's fault the Packers gave up a 18-point lead, but two missed field goals didn't help the Packers' cause.

Crosby's first miss was a third-quarter faux pas that was wide right from 52 yards out that would have extended the Packers lead to 24-13 if it had been good.

The second miss was from 51 yards away with just three seconds remaining that would have sent the game into overtime, but the Packers kicker hit a knuckle ball that wasn't even close.

Sunday was the first time all year Crosby had missed a field goal after coming into the contest by hitting his first five of the year.

Winner: Erik Walden

While in a time-sharing role with Nick Perry, Erik Walden managed to outperform the Packers' first-round draft pick as the Packers' outside linebacker.

Despite not playing on a full-time basis, Walden made three tackles, two quarterback hits and two passes defensed.

Walden is doing a better job getting to the quarterback on a more consistent basis than his rookie counterpart and is also doing a better job in coverage, as evidenced by a batted pass as the Colts were in the Packers' red zone in the second half.

Loser: Second-Half Offensive Line

After giving up eight sacks in the first half to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3, the Packers did a good job bouncing back and pitching a shutout in Week 4 against the New Orleans Saints.

Optimism was running high in the first half of Sunday's game as the Packers were doing a good job protecting Aaron Rodgers and, likewise, the Packers defense was getting to Andrew Luck.

There was a reversal of fortunes in the second half, however, as the Packers allowed five sacks, which prevented the Packers from getting any momentum.

To be fair, there were times when Aaron Rodgers held onto the football for too long, but Bryan Bulaga, Jeff Saturday and T.J. Lang all looked to be at fault for at least one second-half sack.

Winner: James Jones

It was the second consecutive week that James Jones had two touchdown receptions.

Jones' first touchdown put the Packers up 14-0 in the second quarter

His encore in the fourth quarter helped the Packers re-gain the lead 27-22 after falling behind.

With Pro Bowl wide receiver Greg Jennings not playing at all on Sunday due to a groin injury, Jones is asserting himself as one of Aaron Rodgers' top receiving options.

Jones had four receptions for 46 yards against the Colts, making the most of his four catches.

Loser: Packers Dropping the Football

Reacting to a fourth-quarter drop that forced a three-and-out series in the fourth quarter as the Packers were attempting to milk the clock and protect a 21-19 lead, Bill Huber of Packer Report tweeted the following:

"

That's, what, six drops?

— Packer Report (@PackerReport) October 7, 2012"

With starting tight end Jermichael Finley out due to injury, Williams played a much bigger role in the second half than he typically has and could have been a hero had he held onto the football.

Williams was not the only one to drop the football, as Finley and seldom-used Donald Driver both dropped second-half passes that would have given the Packers first downs.

The defensive players got into the act too with a couple drops that would have given the Packers interceptions, perhaps notably Tramon Williams' drop the end zone in the fourth quarter as the Colts were driving for a score.

Winner: Casey Hayward

With the Packers holding onto a shaky two-point lead, 21-19, in the fourth quarter and Colts having all the momentum in their favor, the Packers needed a stop to help stem the tide.

Courtesy of cornerback Casey Hayward, the Packers got the stop they had been seeking as Hayward picked off a pass from Andrew Luck intended for Reggie Wayne deep down the left sideline just after the Colts had entered Packers territory.

The interception couldn't have come at a better time as the Packers not only were precariously hanging onto a slim lead, but also as they were minus-one in turnover margin.

Luck may have picked apart the Packers for 362 yards passing on the day, but Hayward appeared to hold his own as the Packers' dime cornerback. Sunday's interception was the first of his career.

Loser: Injured Players

Not only did the Packers lose to the Colts on Sunday, they also lost three players to injury in the process.

First was running back Cedric Benson who touched the football nine times for over 40 yards before exiting as the Packers were trying to establish a ground game.

Benson's ankle appeared to get caught under a defender, and he was listed as questionable to return.

Also going down with an ankle injury in the first half was defensive lineman B.J. Raji, who was likewise listed as questionable to return, and impacted the Packers' ability to play their base 3-4 defense and collapse the pocket with Raji's pass rush.

Then in the second half, the Packers lost tight end Jermichael Finley to a shoulder injury, and once again, a Packer was announced as questionable to return.

None of the three injured players returned as the Packers lost three players from their starting lineup. The extent of their injuries are unknown, but it certainly was not a good sign that none were able to return.