Green Bay Packers vs. Indianapolis Colts: Another Game, Another Loss for Indy

It had all the markings of a rare preseason win for the Colts. After a nice interception by Mike Newton late in the fourth quarter that put the Colts up by 8 points, it looked like the game was done. The Packers, however, had other ideas.

Led by third-string QB Graham Harrell, the Packers drove the out-manned Colts against the wall and scored a touchdown with 35 seconds remaining. They then tied it up with a two-point conversion. An onside kick and then a short drive later, Mason Crosby knocked home a 50-yarder to win the game for Green Bay.

Despite the late collapse on defense, there were some encouraging signs from the Colts. In particular, Curtis Painter performed well enough to get folks off his back for at least a week.

Let's take a look at the good and bad from the game.

Painter, Addai and first teams performed well

After a less-than-inspiring first quarter, the Colts offense turned on the jets in the second quarter and exploded for 14 points. Keyed by Painter's sharp throws on third down, the Colts were able to make hay through the air against the Green Bay secondary. Both Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon had nice catches to keep drives going.

Joseph Addai ran hard and cut well, racking up 44 yards on eight carries. He even ripped off a beautiful 19 yard dash that made Donald Brown's efforts look like chopped liver. However, there were some encouraging signs from Brown. He did make a couple nice blocks, which has been an aspect of his game that has been deplorable lately.

Dwight Freeney absolutely owned Green Bay left tackle Chad Clifton in the second quarter, registering two sacks. He looked as fast and as dominant as he ever has.

The interior of the line also looked strong, with Drake Nevis continuing to impress and Tommie Harris getting in on the action. Nevis already looks to be a much better option than Fili Moala. He seems stronger at the point of attack, with more drive to achieve penetration.

Secondary, offensive line and second team offense struggled

If it hadn't been for the late fourth quarter pick of a Harrell pass, the Colts would not have scored in the second half. That's just not good enough, and the blame needs to be spread around. Dan Orlovsky didn't look very sharp at QB, but at the same time, his offensive line wasn't helping him much either.

Delone Carter had some good runs in the second half. He looks like the kind of strong, punishing bull that the Colts haven't really had around here much. He'll be a solid option in short yardarge situations in 2011. However, Darren Evans and Javarris James didn't do very much, and I won't be surprised if one ends up cut and the other on the practice squad.

The secondary continues to look very weak and thin. Jacob Lacey is performing poorly and giving up way too much room to receivers. David Caldwell stepped in for the injured Antoine Bethea and did fairly well, but Chip Vaughn was a nightmare when he entered the game at safety. He committed two costly penalties that led to the late Packers touchdown in the fourth quarter. Good thing he probably won't be around when the Colts are playing games that actually matter.

The offensive line is a work in progress at best. Jeff Linkenbach looked shaky at right tackle and got beat by Clay Matthews a couple of times. Ryan Diem was uninspiring and had a false start. This crew needs to pull it together quickly. Right now they are just not a consistent or effective squad.

We didn't see Kerry Collins on the field this game, but after Painter's half-way decent performance (he still only completed half of his passes), Colts fans should feel a bit better about the back-up QB situation.

All in all, though there are some concerns still out there, this preseason game should be taken as an encouraging sign for the Colts' progress. With one throw-away game left, we still need to see better play from the secondary and the offensive line, but the starters everywhere else look solid.