The Green Bay Packers committed an incredible 11 penalties — including five from rookie Anthony Belton — during a sloppy first half against the Indianapolis Colts, but Matt LaFleur’s had just a single penalty in the second half and overcame a 13-3 halftime deficit to win the preseason game 23-19.

The penalties happened on both sides of the ball and were at times crippling.

Donovan Jennings, who started at left guard, had a holding penalty negate a 31-yard completion from Malik Willis to Julian Hicks on the Packers’ second drive.

The offense’s second possession was backed up 10 yards due to a holding penalty on Kamal Hadden on the kickoff return, and Belton had a false start before the first snap. A drive that could have started at the 28-yard line didn’t get off the ground until the Packers were backed up to the 13-yard line. Later in the drive, Belton turned what should have been a 3rd-and-5 situation into 3rd-and-20 when he shoved a Colts defender in the back after the play was over, resulting in a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty.

The Colts drove 90 yards for a touchdown on their next drive. Hadden and Johnathan Baldwin each had holding penalties, resulting in automatic first downs.

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Belton’s third penalty — a facemask infraction — came on the same play in which Emanuel Wilson fumbled the ball away. The penalty was enforced from the recovery spot, so the Colts started at the 22-yard line, not the 37.

On the Packers’ next drive, Kadeem Telfort had a false start on the first play, creating 1st-and-15. The Packers later punted.

The offense’s final drive of the first half could have ended up in the end zone if not for penalties. Telfort had an illegal formation penalty, negating a 14-yard completion to Hicks. Belton’s first illegal formation penalty wiped out a 20-yard touchdown pass to Ben Sims. His second, just two plays later, negated a completion to Will Sheppard down to the 3-yard line. The Packers had to settle for a field goal as time expired.

The first half totals: 11 penalties, 85 yards.

The good news is the Packers finished with 12 penalties and 95 penalty yards — so just one for 10 yards in the second half.

Penalties in the preseason happen. Frequently. The Colts, for instance, finished with 11 penalties for 103 yards, and they had several big plays wiped out by infractions. In many cases, penalties happen when inexperienced or young players get overwhelmed by a situation, and the Packers backups were playing against the Colts starters in the first half.

Unfortunately for Belton, at least four of his penalties were of the controllable kind. He mistimed the snap count once, hit a player late once, and lined up incorrectly twice. Competitive penalties — where a player is just fighting in the heat of battle — are one thing. Controllable penalties border on inexcusable at the professional level.

On the Packers radio broadcast, analyst Larry McCarren wondered aloud if Belton — a big man at 6-6 and almost 340 pounds — was tired to end the half and lost focus. Fatigue is another factor for preseason games — technique and fundamentals can evaporate quick when a player is laboring. Even something as simple as lining up correctly — offensive linemen must be on the line of scrimmage — can become more difficult for a tired player.

“Guys have to dial in and focus and make sure they’re doing all the little things the right way,” LaFleur said post-game.

To his credit, Belton didn’t have a penalty in the second half, and he put together several impressive blocking sequences at right tackle, including a punishing block on Amar Johnson’s touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Not surprisingly, the Packers moved the football and scored points once the Colts starters exited and the penalties went away. With backups facing backups, Green Bay scored three second-half touchdowns and outscored Indianapolis 20-6 over the final 30 minutes.