Green Bay Stopped by a Big Play : Deflected Pass Preserves Colts’ 20-13 Victory

Harvey Armstrong reached up Sunday and swatted away a potential overtime with the Green Bay Packers, preserving the Indianapolis Colts’ 5-game winning streak.

Armstrong batted down a pass by Packer quarterback Don Majkowski on the final play of the game from the Colts’ 2-yard line and Indianapolis held on for a 20-13 victory.

“The quarterback rolled to my left and I just mirrored his movement,” said Armstrong, a 6-foot-3 defensive lineman, who also recovered a fumble and made 2 sacks.

“We had to make a big play and I was fortunate to be able to knock the ball away.”

Majkowski’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Aubrey Matthews with 42 seconds left--Green Bay’s first touchdown in 13 quarters--brought the Packers to within 20-13.

Ken Stills recovered an onside kick and Majkowski moved the Packers to the Colts’ 4 with passes of 20 yards to Patrick Scott and 23 yards to Sterling Sharpe.

Byron Darby batted down a pass, but a holding penalty on Indianapolis moved the ball to the 2. Armstrong then reached up and put an end to the game and the comeback.

The Colts (6-5), with their longest winning streak since 1977, didn’t look like they’d need a defensive stand against the Packers, who lost 4 fumbles.

Chris Chandler threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Mark Boyer to make it 20-3 in the third quarter. He’d earlier passed for a 4-yard touchdown to Matt Bouza to give the Colts a 13-3 halftime lead. Both scores came after the Colts recovered Packer fumbles.

The Packers (2-9) have lost 13 straight non-strike games at Lambeau Field where they have not won since Dec. 1, 1985.

The Colts’ Eric Dickerson was held to 69 yards in 19 carries, but still moved past Earl Campbell to seventh on the NFL career rushing list.

Chandler’s 4-yarder to Bouza with 1:08 left in the second quarter came after Armstrong recovered a fumble by the Packers’ Clint Didier at the Green Bay 37.

Chandler hit Albert Bentley with a 21-yard pass over the middle, moving the ball to the 4. On the next play he passed to Bouza in the corner of the end zone for the touchdown.

The Colts ran 19 plays out of their wishbone offense, including 14 in the second half. The 4-back offense produced 103 yards.

Majkowski completed 24 of 41 passes for 216 yards. He was sacked 5 times. Chandler was 9 of 17 for 98 yards.

Dickerson, who predicted after an August exhibition game that the Colts would manhandle the Packers in November, has 9,421 career rushing yards.