The parallel ends there, so the Packers hope.

Although they're not expected to have opening-day starters Atari Bigby at strong safety and Al Harris at cornerback - although Harris returned to practice Wednesday as he makes a hasty recovery from a spleen injury sustained Sept. 21 - the Packers seemingly are better equipped to defend Indianapolis' fast-break offense than they did four years ago.

"We were in tough shape," defensive end Aaron Kampman recalled.

Kampman is one of only four players on the current Green Bay roster who started on defense in the 2004 game at Indianapolis. The Packers went into the contest without allegedly injured, but disgruntled cornerback Mike McKenzie and rookie backup Ahmad Carroll.

They were left to take on Peyton Manning and his dynamic receiving corps with Harris, Michael Hawthorne and Jason Horton as the top corners.

Manning started the game with 22 straight passes and threw for 320 yards and five touchdowns in just the first half of a 45-31 Colts victory.

"We were in a tough situation," Kampman said. "We were playing a defense that we didn't really have an identity. I remember we were a blitz-oriented defense, and it wasn't working. That's what sticks in my memory."

That was then under the regime of head coach Mike Sherman and defensive coordinator Bob Slowik.

The Packers will host Indianapolis on Sunday at Lambeau Field with a much different defensive philosophy under head coach Mike McCarthy and coordinator Bob Sanders.

The steadying, opportunistic presence of Charles Woodson and the emergence of young Tramon Williams the last three games as Harris' replacement give Green Bay two legitimate bump-and-run corners to disrupt Manning's timing with Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne.

In the last meeting between the teams, Wayne had 11 catches for 184 yards and a touchdown, and Harrison had five receptions for 65 yards and a TD.

In part because the Packers defense has been decimated by early-season injuries both in the secondary and along the line, the conservative Sanders has been more apt not to blitz. Playing it safe Sunday against the Manning-led no-huddle scheme and his notoriously quick release would make the most sense.

"Some people have a little success (blitzing against them)," Kampman said. "But, I think the reality is they execute very well. They're not multiple formations, shifts and motions. They'd rather say, 'We're going to line up right here, we're going to have a couple of different options.'

"It's kind of like a good pass rusher. You've got a couple of moves that you stick with and you say, 'Beat this.' If not, I've got to counter. It's all about executing."

The Packers have had tremendous success thus far in dictating action from the back end of their defense. Led by Woodson's co-NFL-high four interceptions and three apiece for Williams and safety Nick Collins, the secondary has accounted for all 11 interceptions by the Green Bay defense, which is tied with Tampa Bay for the league lead.

McCarthy said it's no secret why the Packers' defensive backs are guilty of being ball thieves this season.

"It's something that I would classify as part of the fundamentals of football," McCarthy said. "Taking the football away has been a major emphasis around here for two years. We have a (practice) period every day that's called ball security, and the emphasis is obviously on taking care of the football, but the other side of it is taking the football away. I really apply the success we've had so far is that's the way we practice. If you practice something every day from a fundamental standpoint, it definitely needs to show up on Sundays, and it has so far."

More of the same on the upcoming Sunday would behoove the Packers, who are looking to go into their bye week on the upswing with a two-game winning streak and a 4-3 record after dropping three straight.

Getting Manning to oblige, though, won't be easy. He has only one interception, with eight touchdowns, in 84 passes thrown against Green Bay in two previous meetings.

"We'll just play our game," Kampman said. "He's very intelligent, I'll give you that, as far as being able to see stuff you've seen on film. But, in the end, when the ball's snapped, you've still got to play where you are. Hopefully, we can maybe lure him into getting too fancy."

SERIES HISTORY: 41st regular-season meeting. Colts lead series, 20-19-1. The inter-conference teams are meeting for the first time since 2004, when host Indianapolis rode the five touchdown passes of Peyton Manning to a 45-31 victory in a shootout against the Brett Favre-led Packers. Green Bay has won the last two encounters in Wisconsin, including a 26-24 outcome in 2000, the Colts' most recent visit to Lambeau Field. The Packers have won seven of 10 games contested between the teams in Green Bay, highlighted by a 13-10 overtime victory over the then-Baltimore Colts in the 1965 Western Conference Championship - their lone postseason matchup.