Dope Sheet: Packers host Colts in home opener 

The Green Bay Packers will take on the Indianapolis Colts in the home opener at Lambeau Field.

• It is the first time the Packers will face an AFC team in the home opener since 2014 against the New York Jets.
• It is the 12th time since the merger (1970) that Green Bay opens at home against and AFC team.
• It is the first time opening at Lambeau against the Colts in team history.
• Green Bay has won 11 straight home openers (2013-23), the longest winning streak in home openers in team history and the longest current winning streak in the league (Buffalo, Miami, Philadelphia and San Francisco each have won three straight).
• This is the Colts' first trip to Lambeau Field since 2016.
• By date, this is the second-earliest meeting between the two teams (Sept. 10, 1966).
• This is just the fourth time in the series history, and the first time since 1974, that the Packers and Colts have played in Week 2.
• The Packers hold a 4-2 advantage over the Colts in September games.
• The last three contests between the two teams have been decided by a total of 11 points (three, five, three). In each of those three games, both teams scored 25-plus points.
• The last game between Green Bay and Indianapolis was an overtime contest at the Colts in 2020.
• The Packers have scored 25-plus points in each of the last seven matchups. It is tied for the longest streak against the Colts by an NFL team.
• Green Bay is 12-9 (.571) against Indianpolis at home, including wins in three of the last four contests.
• Under Head Coach Matt LaFleur, Green Bay is 14-9 agasinst AFC teams, a .609 winning percentage that is No. 2 among NFC teams (Seattle Seahawks, 15-9, .625) and No. 4 among all teams since 2019 (Kansas City Chiefs, 45-16, .738 / Buffalo Bills, 40-19, .678).
• The Packers lost in Brazil, 34-29, to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. Dating back to 2008, the five times the Packers have lost the season opener, they won in Week 2 (2012, 2013, 2014, 2021, 2022).
• Green Bay returns to the road next week with a trip to take on the Tennessee Titans. It marks the first time since 2000 that the Packers have played two of their first three games vs. AFC teams.

WITH THE CALL

FOX Sports, now in its 31st season as an NFL network television partner, will broadcast the game.

• Play-by-play man Joe Davis joins analyst Greg Olsen and sideline reporter Pam Oliver.
• The game is also available through NFL Sunday Ticket by YouTube.
• All Packers games can be heard on the Packers Radio Network, which is made up of 54 stations in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and North and South Dakota. 97.3 The Game – WRNW-Milwaukee begins its third season as the flagship station of the Packers Radio Network. For a map and full listing of radio affiliates, go to packers.com/video/radio-network. Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play), two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (analyst), and three-time Packers Pro Bowler John Kuhn (sideline reporter) call the action. McCarren first joined the team's broadcasts in 1995 and enters his 30th season calling Packers games. After originally being paired together in 1999, McCarren and Larrivee enter their 26th season of broadcasts together. They surpassed Jim Irwin and Max McGee for the most regular-season and postseason games broadcast for the Packers with 313 at the 2018 season opener against Chicago.
• The broadcast is also available on Sirius Satellite Radio on channel 161 or 229 or through the app (Packers Radio Network feed).
• ESPN Radio will be broadcasting the game to a national audience with Steve Levy (play-by-play) and Mike Tannenbaum (analyst) on the call.

This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here (PDF).

THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT

Packers vs. Colts:

• All-time, regular season: 20-23-1
• All-time, postseason: 1-0
• All-time, at home (regular season): 12-9 (8-4 at Lambeau Field)
• Streaks: Green Bay has won two of the last three regular-season games played at Lambeau Field.
• Last meeting, regular season: Nov. 22, 2020, Lucas Oil Stadium, Colts won, 34-31 (OT)

COACHES CAPSULES

• Matt LaFleur: 56-28-0, .667; (3-4 postseason); 6th NFL season
• Shane Steichen: 9-9-0, .500; (0-0 postseason); 2nd NFL season
• Head to Head: LaFleur 0-0 vs. Steichen
• vs. Opponent: LaFleur 0-1 vs. Colts; Steichen 0-0 vs. Packers

MATT LaFLEUR…In his sixth season as the Packers' 15th head coach.

• Is in his 16th season in the NFL, having previously served as an offensive coordinator for two seasons (Los Angeles Rams, 2017; Tennessee Titans, 2018), a quarterbacks coach for six seasons (Washington Redskins, 2010-13; Atlanta Falcons, 2015-16), and an offensive assistant for two seasons (Houston Texans, 2008-09).
• In his first five seasons leading the Packers, has authored one of the greatest starts to a head-coaching career in NFL history. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, his 56 wins are tied for the second most in league history by a head coach in his first five seasons in the NFL, trailing only George Seifert (62 in 1989-93). Green Bay's 56-27 regular-season record since 2019 is tied for No. 3 in the NFL and ranks No. 1 in the NFC.
• Became the first coach in NFL history to post 13-plus wins in three straight seasons and his 39 wins from 2019-21 passed Seifert (38) for the most wins by an NFL head coach in his first three seasons in the league (Elias). His 39 wins are also tied for the second most by a coach over any three-season span in league history, trailing only Andy Reid's 40 wins with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2020-22 and Mike Ditka's 40 wins with the Chicago Bears from 1985-87 (Elias).
• Guided the Packers to a 32-9 record (.780) in the regular season from 2019-23 at Lambeau Field, the top home mark in the NFL since 2019. His .733 win percentage (22-8 record) against NFC North opponents in his first five seasons also ranks as the best in the history of the NFC North/Central (min. 10 games).
• In his first season leading the Packers in 2019, became the first coach in club history to lead the team to the playoffs in his debut season. Also led the largest one-year win improvement in team history (plus-seven wins).

SHANE STEICHEN…In his second season as the Colts' 17th head coach.

• Is in his 14th season as an NFL coach, having previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles (2021-22) and the Los Angeles Chargers (2019-20). He served in multiple other roles with the Chargers from 2011-12 and 2014-19 before he took over as interim offensive coordinator for the final eight games in 2019. Also spent time with the Cleveland Browns in 2013.
• Led the Colts to a 9-8 record with four players earning Pro Bowl selections in his first season as head coach in 2023. Indianapolis ranked No. 10 in rushing yards per game (121.1) and tied for No. 10 in points per game (23.3) last season as well.
• Philadelphia was one of just two teams to have two 1,000-yard receivers (A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith) as well as a 1,000-yard rusher (Miles Sanders). QB Jalen Hurts also set then single-season career highs in every passing category, including completions (306), passing yards (3,701), passing touchdowns (22), completion percentage (66.5) and passer rating (101.5).

This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here (PDF).

THE PACKERS-COLTS SERIES

• The teams have played 10 regular-season games since the Colts relocated to Indianapolis from Baltimore in 1984. Four of those 10 games have been played in Green Bay and the Packers are 2-2 in those contests.
• Starting in 1953, the clubs were division opponents and played twice each season up until the 1967 season when the NFL was realigned in preparation for the NFL-AFL merger.
• In the 1965 season, the Colts and Packers met in the NFL playoffs after a tie in the Western Conference standings. Green Bay came back from a 10-point deficit to win, 13-10, in overtime en route to the club's ninth NFL title.

NOTABLE CONNECTIONS

Packers WRs coach Ryan Mahaffey played in five games with the Colts in 2011…Mahaffey was also a graduate assistant/WRs coach at Notre Dame (2014-15)…Packers head coach Matt LaFleur coached quarterbacks at Notre Dame in 2014…LaFleur and Mahaffey were both on Notre Dame's staff when Colts G Quenton Nelson played for the Fighting Irish…LaFleur and Colts LBs/run game coordinator Richard Smith were on Houston's staff together in 2008 and Atlanta's staff in 2015-16…Packers QBs coach Tom Clements played quarterback at Notre Dame (1972-74) and won a national championship with the Fighting Irish in 1973…Clements then coached QBs (1992-94) for the Fighting Irish…Packers defensive quality control coach Anthony Perkins coached the secondary at Indiana State in 2013-14…Packers director of performance psychology and team behavioral health clinician Dr. Chris Carr is from Muncie, Ind., and attended Ball State University, where also worked as a graduate assistant (OL/special teams) from 1983-84…Colts RB Tyler Goodson entered the league as an undrafted free agent with Green Bay in 2022 and spent that entire season on the Packers' practice squad…Colts G Tanor Bortolini is from Kewaunee, Wis., and played at the University of Wisconsin (2020-23)…Colts RB Jonathan Taylor also played at Wisconsin from 2017-19…Colts DL coach Charlie Partridge was on Wisconsin's coaching staff from 2008-12, serving as the DL and specialists coach (2008-10) and associate head coach/co-defensive coordinator/DL coach (2011-12)…Colts assistant to the head coach TJ Ingels is from Sheboygan, Wis., and was the director of football operations at Wisconsin from 2015-22 and served as a student assistant from 2006-10…Packers assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, assistant special teams coach Byron Storer and Colts head coach Shane Steichen were on the Chargers' staff together…Bisaccia coached with Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley in Tampa Bay (2006-08) while Storer and Colts assistant LBs coach Cato June played for the Buccaneers…Bisaccia, Storer, Bradley, Smith and Colts DBs coach Ron Milus were on the Las Vegas coaching staff together in 2021 while Packers RB Josh Jacobs, CB Keisean Nixon and special teams quality control coach Kyle Wilber played for the Raiders…Bradley and Packers OL coach Luke Butkus coached together with the Seahawks (2010-11) and Jaguars (2013-15)…Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and assistant DL coach Vince Oghobaase were on San Francisco's staff when Colts DT DeForest Buckner played for the 49ers…Packers passing game coordinator Jason Vrable and DL coach Jason Rebrovich coached with Colts OL coach Tony Sparano Jr. for the Buffalo Bills in 2015-16…Rebrovich and Sparano Jr. then coached for the Jaguars together from 2017-20…Packers QBs coach Tom Clements held the same title for Arizona when Colts QBs coach Cam Turner was an offensive assistant/assistant QBs coach for the Cardinals in 2019-20…Packers offensive quality control coach Rob Grosso was also on Arizona's staff with Turner from 2019-22…Turner's father, Ron, was the head coach at Illinois when Butkus played there (1998-01)…Packers assistant OL coach Eddie Gordon was a player for Louisiana when Colts defensive quality control coach Brent Jackson was on the Rajin' Cajuns staff in 2015-16, and then Gordon joined Jackson on the coaching staff from 2017-18…Colts DT Raekwon Davis played for the Dolphins when Packers LBs/running game coordinator Anthony Campanile was on Miami's staff and Davis played for the Crimson Tide when Packers passing game coordinator (defense) Derrick Ansley was on Alabama's staff…Campanile was also on Michigan's staff in 2019 when Colts DE Kwity Paye played for the Wolverines…Packers LS Matt Orzech was teammates with Colts K Matt Gay for the Rams in 2021-22…Packers RB MarShawn Lloyd and Colts S Nick Cross were high school teammates at DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) High School…Former collegiate teammates: Packers S Xavier McKinney, Jacobs and Davis (Alabama); Packers T Rasheed Walker and Colts G Will Fries (Penn State); Packers DL Rashan Gary and Paye (Michigan); Packers DL Brenton Cox Jr. and Colts QB Anthony Richardson (Florida); Packers QB Malik Willis and Colts T Braden Smith (Auburn).