Packers' Effective Game Planning with a Backup Quarterback

Last Sunday, Coach Matt LaFleur crafted a masterful game plan that allowed the Packers to secure a victory against the Colts, even with their backup quarterback at the helm. LaFleur leaned on a steady mix of runs, quarterback-designed runs, screens, and a select handful of carefully timed passing concepts. Based on my calculations, the Packers ran the ball on approximately 74% of their offensive plays. Malik Willis only threw the ball downfield on a few occasions, one of which resulted in a 39-yard reception by Doubs in a crucial moment. Let’s dive into the breakdown of this game plan.

Drive 1

The Packers’ first drive spanned 8 plays for 42 yards and culminated in a field goal. The sequence featured a variety of run plays: counter, counter, quarterback counter bash, outside zone, power, another outside zone, and a well-designed arrow screen off motion into quads. See the trend here? LaFleur didn’t ask Willis to do too much early on. Instead, he relied on his offensive line and smartly utilized a series of run-heavy schemes to set the tone for the game.

Drive 1 Cutup

Drive 2

On their second offensive drive, the Packers went 11 plays for 82 yards, capping it off with a touchdown. Now, at this point, you’d think LaFleur would start to open things up for Willis, right? After all, it’s the second drive, momentum is building, and it feels like the perfect time to cut him loose.

But instead, LaFleur keeps it controlled. The Packers open the drive with a simple swing screen that goes for 22 yards, but after that, they won’t throw another pass until the very last play of the drive. What follows is a mix of power, outside zone, and pin & pull, which moves the chains again. At this point, the Packers are doing a great job keeping the Colts off balance by constantly varying the run game.

Another key detail: throughout the drive, LaFleur keeps the Colts guessing by cycling through three different personnel packages and using a new motion on each play. It’s a subtle but smart tactic, and it’s clear the Colts defense is struggling to keep up.

The next set of downs brings more of the same—outside zone, counter, and split zone—leading to another first down. By now, the Packers are starting to impose their will, grinding down the Colts defense.

Then, on 1st and 10, the Packers dial up their own version of a popular reverse I’ve seen used by just about every team this season: G/H Counter Bluff Reverse.

After the reverse, the Packers dial up a beautifully executed pin & pull into the boundary that finds the end zone—only for it to be called back on a holding penalty that, to this day, I’m still trying to locate. Despite the setback, LaFleur sticks to his formula. The next two plays are a counter (with some creative backfield action) followed by a quarterback draw, motioning into quads to create space.

To finish the drive, Willis delivers a perfectly timed and precise out route into a tight window on a simple stick concept. It’s the only real throw he has to make the entire drive—just 8 yards downfield—but it’s executed flawlessly.

Once again, LaFleur masterfully reduces the load on his backup quarterback, only requiring him to make one critical throw on the drive. The Packers are now up 10-0, firmly in control of the game.

Drive 2 cutup

After an interception, the Packers started this drive with all the momentum, looking to run away with the game. They marched down the field on a 10-play, 68-yard drive that, unfortunately, ended with a fumble into the end zone for a touchback. Once again, LaFleur leaned on a run-heavy approach—because why wouldn’t he at this point?

The drive began with a huge gain on an outside zone variation. It’s worth noting that through these first three drives, LaFleur consistently schemed up the opening play to maximize early yardage. After that, the Packers went to split-zone, three consecutive counters, and then Willis hit the stick concept again for another first down. See the pattern here? Run the ball, and when the pass is needed, keep it simple and manageable for Willis.

On the next set of downs, they mixed in a screen and inside zone, leading to a 3rd-and-5. This time, we finally saw a true dropback pass. The Colts brought a five-man pressure with cover 1 behind it, but a miscommunication left one of their defenders free. Willis, already feeling the heat, scrambled out of the pocket for a big gain but took a solid hit at the end of the play. Ideally, the Packers would’ve preferred he hit the receiver over the middle, but it’s likely Willis was told all week: "If you don’t feel good about it, just take off."

The final play of the drive saw the Packers run counter yet again. The running back made a sharp cut and was heading toward the end zone, but didn’t secure the ball properly, resulting in it getting punched out into the end zone for a touchback.

By the end of Drive 3, Willis was a perfect 5 for 5, and the Packers should have been up 17-0. Instead, they remained 10-0, but these first few drives likely gave Willis a much-needed confidence boost, which is crucial when working with a young or backup quarterback.

Drives 4 and 5 don’t yield much fruit, but Willis is still playing well within the Packers’ run heavy scheme.

Drive 6

This drive came on the heels of a crucial 4th down stop by the Packers defense near midfield, giving them excellent field position. However, it didn’t start as smoothly as the earlier drives. After two minimal gains on the ground, the Packers found themselves in an uncomfortable 3rd-and-9 situation—exactly where they didn’t want to be.

LaFleur called a Y-Cross variation, while the Colts once again brought a five-man pressure and dropped into a 3-under, 3-deep fire zone coverage. Willis smartly checked down to his tight end leaking out into the flat, and the Colts’ underneath defender, who had dropped back with the crossing route, missed the open-field tackle. The result? A 17-yard gain and a fresh set of downs.

Willis would connect on one more pass, hitting the stick concept again, and thanks to that big third-down conversion earlier in the drive, the Packers were able to extend their lead to 13-0 with a field goal.

Drive 6 cutup

Drive 8

On their 8th drive, the Packers returned to their bread and butter. The first two plays were split-zone followed by a quarterback counter, setting them up with a manageable 3rd-and-5. But the Colts weren't holding anything back on this play, dialing up a 6-man pressure with "hot" coverage (2 under, 3 deep) behind it.

Under intense pressure, Willis stood tall and threw a 50/50 go ball to Doubs, who made a huge play, hauling it in for a 39-yard gain and putting the Packers in field goal range. While the next three plays didn’t result in much—two runs and an incompletion—the long throw was enough to set up another field goal, extending the Packers' lead.

Conclusion

These key drives were enough for the Packers to secure a victory over the Colts at home. In my opinion, the Packers put together a well-executed game plan on short notice for a backup quarterback. That plan revolved around creative variations of their run schemes—particularly those that gave the threat of a quarterback pull or read option—along with a manageable third-down passing game and minimal dropback passing for Malik Willis.

We also can’t overlook the Packers' defensive performance, which forced three turnovers, including one on the final play of the game, sealing the win.

For coaches dealing with a young or inexperienced quarterback—or if your starter goes down—this game offers plenty of creative ideas to reduce the pressure on your signal-caller. LaFleur put together a masterful plan against the Colts, and it’ll be interesting to see if the Packers can maintain this level of effectiveness heading into Week 3.