Colts vs. Packers: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 Regular Season

It was supposed to be a showdown between two of the NFL's best quarterbacks. At times, it turned into a battle of which one of them could screw up the least.

In the end, Andrew Luck outlasted Aaron Rodgers and helped lead the Indianapolis Colts to a 31-26 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Luck threw for 281 yards and a touchdown but turned the ball over twice via interceptions. Rodgers found little success through the air himself for most of the game, needing 43 attempts to throw for 297 yards and tossing an interception.

Aaron Nagler of the Green Bay Press-Gazette offered a harrowing comparison for Rodgers:

The Colts triumphed on the back of a couple of solid drives, a surprisingly strong defensive performance and some clutch special teams play. Jordan Todman took the game's opening kickoff back for a touchdown, just the third such instance of the entire 2016 season.

Kevin Bowen of the Colts' website highlighted how long it had been between kick return touchdowns for the team:

Frank Gore led the way for the Colts with two touchdowns, totaling 60 yards on 19 carries. He had only two rushing touchdowns on the season coming into Week 9, and he had not scored on the ground in the Colts' last four games. It's Gore's third multi-touchdown game in a Colts uniform.

NFL Fantasy Football on Twitter got in on the fun of complimenting the ageless Gore:

Luck's lone touchdown went to Donte Moncrief in the second quarter. Moncrief finished with 55 yards on three receptions. He has scored in each of his two games since returning from a shoulder injury and in three of four appearances this season.

T.Y. Hilton and Jack Doyle each had solid afternoons, accounting for 82 and 61 yards, respectively. The Colts were outgained 405-355 overall.

A good chunk of Rodgers' offensive output through the air came with the Packers in scramble mode. Gore's second touchdown in the fourth quarter put Indianapolis up 31-13 and left the Colts defense to play prevent the rest of the way. 

Rodgers threw for just 77 yards in the first half and struggled deep into the third quarter before ramping things up to make it interesting late. Two of his three touchdowns came in the final eight minutes. 

From a counting stats perspective, however, Rodgers has been fantastic over the last three weeks. He has accounted for 10 touchdowns against just one interception, put up solid yardage and even put in some work on the ground with the Packers without a traditional running back in most cases. Fantasy owners have undoubtedly been happy, but the Packers are 1-2 in these contests.

Green Bay is also still having major issues making plays down the field. Aside from a 40-yard pitch-and-catch to Davante Adams, the Packers were confined to a series of middling and underneath throws designed for yards after the catch. Even when the Packers do try shots down the field, something manages to mess them up; Jeff Janis dropped a beautifully thrown deep pass from Rodgers that could have been a touchdown.

ESPN's Matthew Berry commented on the drop:

Jordy Nelson led all players with 94 yards on seven receptions. Tight end Richard Rodgers was second on the team with six grabs and 64 yards. 

The Colts (4-5) are now tied with the Tennessee Titans for second place in the AFC South. They will head into a bye before hosting Tennessee on Nov. 20. The Houston Texans, who are idle this week, play at the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10.

The Packers (4-4) continue their stretch of AFC South opponents when they travel to Tennessee next Sunday. It's their first of three straight games on the road—not exactly a promising sign for a team struggling to keep its head above water.

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Post-Game Reaction

Rodgers called out his teammates for "uncharacteristically low energy," per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com: "I have no idea [why], I don't understand it. This is what we get paid to do. I would hope the guys would say I bring it every week. I don't know what the lack of juice was. We've got to look deep in the mirror there because that's not acceptable."

Luck told reporters he wasn't pleased with his performance: "It wasn't the best start with my game offensively, with my game, two interceptions. Like anything you've got to move on. Then made enough plays at the end."

Packers coach Mike McCarthy told reporters: "We're 4-4, played a lot of good football ... but you are what your record is. I think our quality of play is not where (we want) it to be." 

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.