The Green Bay Packers are heading into a huge game this afternoon against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Green Bay is sitting at 7-6-1 and has to win their final two games against the Steelers and Bears in order to win the NFC North and secure a playoff spot. Aaron Rodgers has been ruled out once again this week, which means Matt Flynn will try to win his third straight game. The passing game is not the key for the Packers this week, but rookie running back Eddie Lacy will be.
Lacy is coming off of a huge game against the Cowboys, rushing for 141 yards on 21 carries to go along with a touchdown. The Packers are going to need him to come out early and dominate the ground game to open up the passing game for Flynn. Pittsburgh is currently ranked 19th against the run, giving up 115.6 yards per game on the ground.
Mike McCarthy has been very happy to have a running back that can consistently put up 100 yards on the ground each week. Lacy has had some rookie games where he has played poorly, but for the most part he has played with above average skill for a rookie. Perhaps the most underrated aspect of Lacy’s game is his ability to catch the football out of the backfield. There will likely be quite a few chances for him to make some plays through the air against the Pittsburgh defense as well.
Eddie Lacy is a rookie being asked to handle an incredibly large workload in a playoff type of game. Green Bay’s season is on the line and they need a big game from Matt Flynn’s supporting cast to help the offense run smoothly. Expect Lacy to receive a large load of carries and have yet another big games.
Evan Massey is a Staff Writer for The Inscriber. Follow Evan on Twitter at @Massey_Evan.