It has been a long time since the Green Bay Packers have had a dangerous running back in their backfield. Eddie Lacy looked to be a star in his first two years with the Packers, but weight issues and injuries ended that hope. Now, Aaron Jones has emerged in his rookie season as a star and has given the Packers a legitimate threat on the ground.
Jones is without question one of the most surprising players in the NFL this season. After being drafted in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, many overlooked him with Ty Montgomery being named the starter coming into the season. Montgomery went down with broken ribs against the Chicago Bears a few weeks back, which opened the door for Jones.
Ever since that injury, Jones has proven himself to be the best running back in Green Bay and seems to have won the starting job.
Mike McCarthy has had nothing but good things to say about Jones. Even Aaron Rodgers has given glowing praise to the rookie running back. Rodgers went down with a broken collarbone that will sideline him for the majority of the season, which makes Jones an even more important piece within the Green Bay offense.
So far this season, Jones has carried the football 62 times for 346 yards and three touchdowns. Those numbers average out to an impressive 5.6 yards per carry.
Brett Hundley is the new starting quarterback in Green Bay and struggled in his first start last week. Due to those struggles, the Packers need to make Jones the focal point of their offense.
Last week against the New Orleans Saints, Hundley completed just 12 of his 25 pass attempts for 87 yards and no touchdowns. He also threw an interception. Jones, on the other hand, racked up 131 yards and a touchdown on just 17 carries.
Handing the keys of the offense to a rookie running back is never an easy decision. That being said, Jones has shown that he is more than capable of handling that role and also deserves an increased workload.
If the Packers want to give Rodgers a chance to come back in the last few weeks of the season and lead them into the playoffs, they need an offensive spark. That offensive spark could potentially come from Hundley, but watching last week’s game it was obvious that Jones is the better option.
Expect to see the Packers continue giving Jones a bigger role within their offense. McCarthy has not had a weapon like Jones in his backfield for a long time and it’s time to see what the rookie can do as the focal point of the Green Bay offense.
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