The good news is that Aaron Jones, the running back, did not have a classification on the Green Bay Packers’ final injury report. That does not, however, imply that he will play in full force against Minnesota on Sunday.
“I would say he’s been doing a little bit more,” Matt LaFleur remarked. But we’re still going to treat him sensibly. He’s definitely not 100 %, in my opinion.
Jones has been sidelined since the Packers’ season-opening game in Chicago due to a hamstring ailment. He would then sit out the next two games, make a snap count comeback against Detroit, then miss the next week’s game in Las Vegas due to a hamstring strain sustained during practise on Saturday.
Jones wasn’t playing to his best potential against the Broncos, but he was still accessible. He participated in 23 offensive snaps, accumulating 35 yards from eight rushes and an additional 22 yards from three receptions on four targets. Emanuel Wilson would play five snaps and AJ Dillon would play thirty-six.
“Since the injury in Chicago, this is the best I’ve felt,” Jones declared on Friday. “I’ll probably be there next Sunday if I don’t reach 100 (percent) this Sunday. I feel like I’m moving past that, and it’s as like someone put some smiles on my face.
The offence of the Packers has had trouble getting going in the first few minutes of games. There are several reasons for this, but one major one is that Jones, the team’s best playmaker, isn’t always available.
This week, Green Bay will be playing the Vikings, a very aggressive defence that uses a variety of players to blitz the opposition. On 56% of their defensive snaps, Minnesota is blitzing, according to Pro Football Reference. New England, at 42%, is the next closest team. Additionally, defensive coordinator Brian Flores does an excellent job of hiding coverages with his personnel, which may be problematic for an offence that is just getting started.
Relying on the quick passing game to get the ball out of Jordan Love’s hands quickly and to a pass catcher in space, where they hopefully have yards after the catch potential, is going to be crucial in this game given the Vikings’ defensive style and the Packers’ offensive line problems. It would be great, of course, to use Jones in this position as often as feasible.
Given the remarks made by Jones and LaFleur, if we assume that he will once more be placed on a pitch count, we can expect to see a lot more of Dillon, who has been playing some of his greatest football over the past two weeks. With 137 rushing yards at 4.0 yards per attempt over that time, Dillon has shown us a far more powerful and decisive version of himself—a far cry from the 2.7 yards he was averaging earlier in the season.
This past Monday, according to LaFleur, “he’s done a nice job.” “We expect him to finish runs and lower his pad level, and that is what he is doing. He’s a large back who is losing ground. We need him to keep doing what we have been doing to get him going better over the last several weeks, and hopefully things will get better from here on out.
Because there are so many defenders that frequently hover around the line of scrimmage, the Vikings have been quite effective against the run this season, giving up just 3.6 yards per rush, which is the sixth-lowest average in the NFL. As the entire season has demonstrated, if Green Bay is unable to establish the run game and succeed on early downs, the
The hallmark of this Minnesota defence is their ability to get into advantageous matchups and take the initiative, which fits perfectly with their goals.”Remember that we need to emerge quickly in the same manner as we’ve been playing in the second halves—with our backs to the wall.” said Jones. All we need to do is attack with that mentality. Attack the person positioned across from you. When you break the huddle, pick up the pace to the ball, and put them under pressure, come out with urgency.
