Green Bay Packers: Aaron Jones Game-Time Decision for Sunday

Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones missed practice on Friday, and his status for Sunday’s game is now up in the air.

Unfortunately, on Friday, the Green Bay Packers already lengthy injury report added another key player to that list. Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com would report that Aaron Jones was not at practice today and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com would follow up by saying that Jones had “suffered a very mild calf strain” on Thursday; making him a game-time decision for Sunday’s matchup with Houston.

Coincidentally, after this news came out, Jones met with the media on Friday via Zoom and when asked about his calf he said that he felt tightness yesterday, but he also feels “confident” that he can play against Houston. However, as we’ve seen from the Green Bay medical staff, they are a conservative bunch, so even if Jones feels good to go, as Davante Adams did, that doesn’t mean we will see him on the field.

This season, Jones is averaging 5.2 yards per carry, which ranks third among all running backs with at least 60 touches. While in the passing game, his 161 total yards is the 10th most by a running back in 2020, not to mention that he has seven total touchdowns.

To put it simply, this is a completely different offense when he’s on the field and productive. Last week’s performance in Tampa Bay is a good example of how this unit can struggle when Jones isn’t a factor, and the run game as a whole is bottled up. In the LaFleur offense, the running game sets up everything else, and that all begins with Jones.

However, if there is a silver lining, it would be that the Packers take on the Houston Texans, who have one of, if not the worst run defense in the NFL, depending on which metrics you use. Through six weeks, Houston has given up the most total rushing yards, the most rushing yards per game, and the most rushing yards per carry.

Additionally, the Green Bay Packers have a very capable backup in Jamaal Williams, who is averaging 4.3 yards per carry and has totaled 119 receiving yards. This will also be a great opportunity for second-round pick A.J. Dillon to get some reps as well. On five carries against Tampa Bay, he was able to post 31 yards, including a run of 20 yards.

Obviously, the hope is that Jones is able to play. As I said, this offense is so much better with him in it. But if he is unable to go, Green Bay should be well-equipped with Williams and Dillon to handle his absence, and they’re playing a Texans defense that hasn’t stopped the run all season.