Willis thrives with help from the Packers' defense and running game in a 16-10 victory over Colts

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Malik Willis threw his first career touchdown pass, Josh Jacobs had 151 of Green Bay’s 261 yards rushing and the Packers withstood the absence of injured quarterback Jordan Love to beat the Indianapolis Colts 16-10 on Sunday.

Indianapolis (0-2) cut the Packers' lead to 16-10 on Anthony Richardson's 4-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Pierce with 1:47 left, but Green Bay's Evan Williams recovered the ensuing onside kick. The Colts got the ball back at their own 5-yard line with 43 seconds left, but Williams intercepted a Hail Mary attempt from the Indianapolis 41 to end the game.

Richardson was 17 of 33 for 204 yards, but threw three interceptions. He ran for 37 yards on four carries.

Love didn’t play after injuring his left medial collateral ligament during the final series of a 34-29 season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 6 in Brazil. It was the first game Love missed since taking over as Green Bay’s starting quarterback last year.

His injury pressed Willis into duty less than three weeks after the Packers acquired him from the Tennessee Titans. Willis had made three previous career starts – all in 2022 – and hadn’t thrown for as many as 100 yards in any of them.

With help from a ground attack that dominated the first half, Willis played an efficient game and went 12 of 14 for 122 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks. Brayden Narveson went 3 of 4 on field-goal attempts to account for Green Bay’s other points, and Jacobs had 32 of the Packers' 53 carries.

Indianapolis' Jonathan Taylor rushed for 103 yards on 12 attempts, but didn't touch the ball in the fourth quarter.

The Packers didn’t need Willis to throw the ball much early on because they were running wild against the Colts’ porous defense, enabling them to take a 10-0 lead in the first quarter

Green Bay gained 164 yards rushing in the first quarter alone, the highest first-quarter total for any NFL team since the Denver Broncos had 167 in the opening period of a 41-23 loss to the New England Patriots on Dec. 18, 2011. By halftime, the Packers had 237 yards rushing on 34 carries.

Indianapolis was coming off a 29-27 loss to the Houston Texans in which they had allowed 213 yards rushing, the highest total any team had given up in the season’s opening week.

Green Bay had 135 yards rushing from six different ball carriers before finally reaching positive passing yardage for the game, on Wicks’ touchdown.

The score remained 10-0 at halftime because Green Bay blew a chance to break it open early in the second quarter when Jacobs fumbled on first-and-goal from the 4. Zaire Franklin forced the fumble that Laiatu Latu recovered in the end zone.

Indianapolis’ run defense stiffened in the second half, but the Colts couldn’t come all the way back because their offense failed to capitalize on opportunities.

After Matt Gay’s 34-yard field goal cut the Packers' lead to 13-3 with 4:32 left in the third, the Colts drove inside Green Bay's 30 on their next series and had a chance to make it a one-score game.

But on a third-and-1 play to open the fourth quarter, McKinney stopped Trey Sermon for a 4-yard loss. Gay sent a 50-yard attempt wide left on the next play.

Narveson delivered his third field goal on Green Bay’s next series to make it 16-3.

INJURIES

Colts: DT DeForest Buckner was helped off the field in the third quarter. ... Latu left with a hip injury in the second half. ... The Colts were playing without S Julian Blackmon (shoulder) and WR Josh Downs (ankle).

Packers: G Jordan Morgan didn't play the second half due to a shoulder injury. ... RB MarShawn Lloyd hurt his ankle.

UP NEXT

Colts: Host the Chicago Bears next Sunday.

Packers: Visit the Tennessee Titans next Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis warms up before an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) is stopped by Indianapolis Colts safety Rodney Thomas II (25) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II (23) breaks up a pss intended for Green Bay Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (13) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) runs past Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker (7) for a first down during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II (23) breaks up a pass intended for Green Bay Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (13) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (85) tries to escape from Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II (23) after making a catch during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

Green Bay Packers linebacker Eric Wilson (45) reacts after intercepting a pass as Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) looks on during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis (2) throws on the run as Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo (54) defends during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

NEW YORK (AP) — Just one day after pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded, more electronic devices detonated in Lebanon Wednesday in what appeared to be a second wave of sophisticated, deadly attacks that targeted an extraordinary number of people.

Both attacks, which are widely believed to be carried out by Israel, have hiked fears that the two sides’ simmering conflict could escalate into all-out war. This week's explosions have also deepened concerns about the scope of potentially-compromised devices, particularly after such bombings have killed or injured so many civilians.

Here's what we know so far.

On Tuesday, pagers used by hundreds of Hezbollah members exploded almost simultaneously in parts of Lebanon as well as Syria. The attack killed at least 12 people — including two young children — and wounded thousands more.

An American official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Israel briefed the U.S. on the operation — where small amounts of explosives hidden in the pagers were detonated. The Lebanese government and Iran-backed Hezbollah also blamed Israel for the deadly explosions. The Israeli military, which has a long history of sophisticated operations behind enemy lines, declined to comment.

A day after these deadly explosions, more detonations triggered in Beirut and parts of Lebanon Wednesday — including several blasts heard at a funeral in Beirut for three Hezbollah members and a child killed by Tuesday's explosions, according to Associated Press journalists at the scene.

At least nine people were killed and another 300 were wounded, the Health Ministry said, in this apparent second attack.

When speaking to troops on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant made no mention of the explosions of electronic devices, but praised the work of Israel's army and security agencies and said “we are at the start of a new phase in the war."

A Hezbollah official told the AP that walkie-talkies used by the group exploded on Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Lebanon’s official news agency also reported that solar energy systems exploded in homes in several areas of Beirut and in southern Lebanon, wounding at least one girl.

While details are still emerging from Wednesday's attack, the second wave of explosions targeted a country that is still reeling from Tuesday's pager bombings. That attack appeared to be a complex Israeli operation targeting Hezbollah, but an enormous amount of civilian casualties were also reported, as the detonations occurred wherever members' pagers happened to be — including homes, cars, grocery stores and cafes.

Hezbollah has used pagers as a way to communicate for years. And more recently, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned the group’s members not to carry cellphones, saying they could be used by Israel to track the group’s movements.

Pagers also run on a different wireless network than mobile phones, which usually makes them more resilient in times of emergency. And for a group like Hezbollah, the pagers provided a means to sidestep what’s believed to be intensive Israeli electronic surveillance on mobile phone networks in Lebanon — as pagers' tech is simpler and carries lower risks for intercepted communications.

Elijah J. Magnier, a Brussels-based veteran and a senior political risk analyst who says he has had conversations with members of Hezbollah and survivors of the attack, said that the newer brand of pagers used in Tuesday’s explosions were procured more than six months ago. How they arrived in Lebanon remains unclear.

Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said Wednesday it had authorized use of its brand on the AR-924 pager model — but that a Budapest, Hungary-based company called BAC Consulting KFT produced and sold the pagers.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs said that it had no records of direct exports of Gold Apollo pagers to Lebanon. And Hungarian government spokesman later added that the pager devices had never been in Hungary, either, noting that BAC had merely acted as an intermediary.

Speculation around the origins of the devices that exploded Wednesday has also emerged. A sales executive at the U.S. subsidiary of Japanese walkie-talkie maker Icom told The Associated Press that the exploded radio devices in Lebanon appear to be a knock-off product and not made by Icom.

“I can guarantee you they were not our products,” said Ray Novak, a senior sales manager for Icom’s amateur radio division, in an interview Wednesday at a trade show in Providence, Rhode Island.

Novak said Icom introduced the V-82 model more than two decades ago and it has long since been discontinued. It was designed for amateur radio operators and for use in social or emergency communications, including by people tracking tornadoes or hurricanes, he said.

Tuesday's explosions were most likely the result of supply-chain interference, several experts told The Associated Press — noting that very small explosive devices may have been built into the pagers prior to their delivery to Hezbollah, and then all remotely triggered simultaneously, possibly with a radio signal. That corroborates information shared from the U.S. official.

A former British Army bomb disposal officer explained that an explosive device has five main components: A container, a battery, a triggering device, a detonator and an explosive charge.

“A pager has three of those already,” said the ex-officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he now works as a consultant with clients on the Middle East. “You would only need to add the detonator and the charge.”

This signals involvement of a state actor, said Sean Moorhouse, a former British Army officer and explosive ordinance disposal expert. He added that Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, the Mossad, was the most obvious suspect to have the resources to carry out such an attack. Israel has a long history of carrying out similar operations in the past.

The specifics of Wednesday's explosions are still uncertain. But reports of even more electronic devices exploding may suggest even greater infiltration of boobytrap-like interferance in Lebanon’s supply chain. It also deepens concerns around the lack of certainty of who may be holding rigged devices.

It would take a long time to plan an attack of this scale. The exact specifics are still unknown, but experts who spoke with the AP about Tuesday's explosions shared estimates ranging anywhere between several months to two years.

The sophistication of the attack suggests that the culprit has been collecting intelligence for a long time, explained Nicholas Reese, adjunct instructor at the Center for Global Affairs in New York University’s School of Professional Studies. An attack of this caliber requires building the relationships needed to gain physical access to the pagers before they were sold; developing the technology that would be embedded in the devices; and developing sources who can confirm that the targets were carrying the pagers.

Citing conversations with Hezbollah contacts, Magnier said the group is currently investigating what type of explosives were used in the device, suspecting RDX or PETN, highly explosive materials that can cause significant damage with as little as 3-5 grams. They are also questioning whether the device had a GPS system allowing Israel to track movement of the group members.

N.R. Jenzen-Jones, an expert in military arms who is director of the Australian-based Armament Research Services, added that “such a large-scale operation also raises questions of targeting" — stressing the number of causalities and enormous impact reported so far.

“How can the party initiating the explosive be sure that a target’s child, for example, is not playing with the pager at the time it functions?” he said.

Associated Press journalists Johnson Lai in Taipei, Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Matt O'Brien in Providence, Rhode Island contributed to this report.

People donate blood for those who were injured by their exploded handheld pagers, at a Red Cross center, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)