Green Bay Packers: Expect a Heavy Dose of Aaron Jones & Jamaal Williams

In order for the Green Bay Packers to bounce-back with a win over Carolina, they’ll need to rely on their dynamic duo at running back, Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams.

While there were a number of factors that contributed to the Green Bay Packers’ issues on offense during the 2018 season, perhaps the biggest was their unwillingness to utilize the run game which resulted in a one-dimensional offense that not even Aaron Rodgers could save.

Last season the Packers threw the ball on nearly 68 percent of their plays, however, under coach Matt LaFleur, they have been much more balanced and rank 13th this season, passing the ball just 61 percent of the time. Relying more on the running game as well as getting Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams more involved in the passing game are big reasons why the Packers are 7-2.

However, this past Sunday in Los Angeles, the Green Bay Packers were punched in the mouth by the Chargers and while a number of things went wrong, abandoning the run was possibly the most egregious. But LaFleur acknowledged this mistake when talking to the media earlier in the week and if the Packers are going to beat the Panthers on Sunday, there will need to be a heavy dose of Jones and Williams in both the running and passing games.

Since Jones and Williams were drafted in 2017 we saw flashes here and there of the dynamic players that they could become, however, it was a lack of opportunities that were holding them back. But under LaFleur, both are enjoying a breakout season.

Through nine games, Jones is averaging 4.1 yards per carry with eight touchdowns and in Davante Adams’ absence, he became Rodgers favorite receiving target, totaling 22 receptions for 283 yards with three touchdowns during that four game stretch. Meanwhile Williams is averaging 4.4 yards per carry and has five receiving touchdowns this season.

With a matchup this Sunday against a Carolina Panthers’ defense that has struggled against running backs this season – both in the air and on the ground – this should be another big week for Jones and Williams.

As bad as the Green Bay Packers’ run defense has been this season, Carolina has actually been worse. In eight games they are giving up an average of 133 rushing yards per game, which is the seventh most in the NFL, and in seven of their eight games they’ve given up at least 100 yards on the ground, including 232 against San Francisco.

Then in the passing game the Panthers are giving up the second highest quarterback rating (118.2) on screens and flare routes this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Not to mention that having success running the ball and using screens in the passing game is going to help Green Bay control the clock which is going to be a must against Carolina as they need to limit how much Christian McCaffrey sees the field.

During the week, Rodgers mentioned that Jones and Williams needed more touches. He specified saying that Jones needed 15-20 touches per game, while Williams needed 10-15. Against this Carolina defense, if the Packers can follow that formula it should result in a big day for their dynamic running back duo and it will go a long way towards securing the win.