http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/packers-running-game-goes-down-after-benson-injured-fm7444e-173061901.html
Indianapolis - Coach Mike McCarthy often talks about the "next man up" when it comes to dealing with injuries, but in a devastating loss to a team hardly equipped to deal with his Green Bay Packers, McCarthy forgot his own code.
The Packers (2-3) may never recover this season from a 30-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium, but they did have a chance to remain afloat inside the dome after losing leading rusher Cedric Benson with a sprained foot.
According to the next man up observance, second-year back Alex Green should have stepped in and assumed Benson's role, allowing McCarthy to stick to his original game plan.
Had McCarthy actually done so, the game Sunday might have been different. After two quarters of limited opportunity, Green busted off a 41-yard run that turned the game around. One play later, receiver James Jones scored on an 8-yard touchdown pass to give the Packers a 27-22 lead with just over 4 minutes left.
Green's run was the longest by a Packer since Dec. 11 of last year and only the team's fourth run of 40 or more yards since the start of the 2010 season. It came on just his 11th carry of the season.
Given the success the offense had in building a 21-3 lead with Benson gaining a modest 20 yards on seven carries, it's possible the game would have been different if Green had been used similarly. Before getting hurt, Benson thought the Packers were on their way to a good running day.
"I had a good feeling that it would be a big game, not only for me but every skill position, every player," Benson said afterward, a medical boot on his left foot. "It's just surprising that it didn't."
Benson said his foot swelled up too much to continue after a Colts player landed on it, following a 3-yard reception. He said he had faith that the "next man up" would be able to pick up where he left off.
Only McCarthy didn't give him a chance.
After calling eight runs in the 17 plays leading up to Benson's injury, McCarthy called just nine in the next 42 times quarterback Aaron Rodgers took a snap. It's not known how many of those plays Rodgers changed from runs to passes at the line of scrimmage.
Green created some doubt about his effectiveness with five of his carries totaling minus-3 yards.
But after playing to stop Benson in the first half, the Colts seemed content to turn on their jets and go after Rodgers with no fear of being gashed by the run in the second half. Rodgers was sacked five times after halftime.
"We have to make sure we're able to run the ball," guard Josh Sitton said. "We have to have that variety. We're not the same team as last year, obviously. We can't sit back there and throw the ball 20 times in a row to be successful.
"We have to run the ball and have the confidence in the play caller to call the run and we need to run the ball."
The Packers clearly aren't the 2011 team that set franchise records for passing yards and points. In five games, they have scored 112 points, 61 fewer than they scored in the first five last year. They topped 390 yards in each of their five games last year and have topped it just once this year.
Going into the game, Colts players said the pass game was not their primary concern.
"Take care of Cedric Benson, first of all, stopping the run," end Cory Redding said. "And then two, getting on the passer, mixing it up on the back end where you can't read our coverages as much and trying to eliminate the big plays."
With Benson presenting something of a threat, Rodgers got some one-on-one matchups with his receivers, some he took advantage of and some he didn't. His worst miss was a third and 6 on the first series when he overthrew an open Jordy Nelson down the right sideline.
But Rodgers was able to stretch the field and engineered touchdown drives of 56, 65 and 66 yards on the way to a 21-3 halftime lead.
"I thought we moved the ball well today," said receiver James Jones, who stayed hot with four catches for 46 yards and two touchdowns. "Second half, the first four drives they got us, but first half we moved the ball up and down the field and probably left another score out there.
"We just have to be consistent."
The first series of the second half gave Indianapolis life.
McCarthy threw on all four plays, one of which resulted in a holding penalty and another an interception. The interception came on a third and 2 from the Packers' 28.
The next series was three passes, one of which resulted in a 5-yard sack and another an illegal forward pass. Green got the ball three times on the next series, but he managed 1, 1 and minus-4 yards on a drive that ended with kicker Mason Crosby missing the first of two 50-yard-plus field goals.
After that, Green carried just two more times before breaking off his 41-yard run.
He admitted it might have taken him a little while to get acclimated, especially since he had carried only twice this season after an off-season rehabilitating a knee reconstruction. But he said he got enough practice snaps this week to be prepared.
"Yeah, I hadn't played this much this year," Green said. "I guess you could say that, (that) it took a little while to get used to the defense and things like that and get situated with the offense and things like that.
"But once the ball got to me I tried to make the best play possible. One thing about being a running back is getting downhill, so I just tried to do the best I could do to get downhill and not mess up."
Green's 41-yard run was an inside zone play where the seas parted nicely for him and he was able to run past the linebackers and down the sideline. Of all the backs the Packers have, Green is the fastest and he showed it on that carry.
He finished with 55 yards on nine carries.
"We have to figure out a way to win these games," Sitton said. "I know it's not easy to win in this league. It's pretty obvious. We jump out and same story, we get shut down. We have to close out the game. We have to find a way at the end."
JSOnline wrote: