Rodgers has stellar outing for Packers in 59-24 rout of Colts

Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay quarterback, has said the Packers will be hard to stop this season, and nothing about the pre-season has indicated he might be wrong. In three games, Rodgers has completed almost 80 per cent of his passes with six touchdowns and no interceptions. He threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns before half time of the Packers' 59-24 romp over the Indianapolis Colts in Green Bay on Thursday night.

"When we get into a rhythm like we have this pre-season on offence, we're going to be tough to stop," Rodgers said. "It's fun." The points kept coming even after Rogers left the game. The Packers scored six offensive touchdowns and twice on special teams. Expectations are high in Green Bay this season, and Rodgers has shown every indication that he is ready to lead the team deep into the play-offs.

Jim Caldwell, the Indianapolis coach, said he was not overly concerned about the lopsided final score. "It wasn't 59 points against our starters, it was 59 points overall," he said. Peyton Manning, the Colts quarterback, made plenty of big plays early against a porous Packers pass defence, but Rodgers was up for an old-fashioned shoot-out against one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks. Trailing 17-7 early in the second quarter, Rodgers rallied the Packers to a 28-17 half-time lead.

During the surge Rodgers led a masterful touchdown drive in the two-minute drill just before half time. "Obviously the score got away at the end, which is certainly possible in the pre-season; you're playing a lot of young guys," Manning said. "Offensively, some things that we did well, but as with most pre-season games, some things that we can certainly improve on." For the Colts, the biggest worry was not the final score.

Joseph Addai, the running back, left the game in the third quarter with a concussion and Gary Brackett, the linebacker, hurt his right hand. Addai said he "just got a little dizzy" but was fine after that. "Really, they didn't do any tests, they didn't need to," Addai said. "I was fine. If I needed to go back in, I could've." * Associated Press