Green Bay Packers: “Pessimism” that Aaron Jones will Play Thursday
By Paul Bretl
Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, there is “pessimism” surrounding Aaron Jones’ status for the Green Bay Packers’ Thursday night matchup with San Francisco.
In a matter of days, the Green Bay Packers have gone from having one of the deepest running back rooms in the NFL to now an extremely thin group, just days before they take on the San Francisco 49ers.
On Monday, we learned that second-round pick A.J. Dillon had tested positive for COVID-19 and has since been placed on the COVID/reserve list. Additionally, through contact tracing and as a part of league protocols, Jamaal Williams is now unavailable for Thursday’s game as well – along with LB Kamal Martin – because of close contact with Dillon, according to Tom Pelissero.
Those are certainly two big losses for a team that relies heavily on the run to set up the passing game, but the hope was that the Green Bay Packers would at least get Aaron Jones back after missing the last two games with what was originally diagnosed as a mild calf strain. However, according to Ian Rapoport, that is looking less and less likely:
Adding to the difficulty for the #Packers: There is pessimism that RB Aaron Jones (calf) will be back for Thursday, I’m told. GB is cautious. The current plan seems to be going with Tyler Ervin and Dexter Williams vs the #49ers. Ervin has 10 career carries and Williams has 5.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 3, 2020
As Rapoport mentions, without Jones, Williams, or Dillon, that would leave the Packers with Tyler Ervin, who is listed as a running back but has spent the entire season in the wide receiver room, and Dexter Williams. This season, Ervin has only taken three total snaps lined up in the backfield as a traditional running back and has instead lined up more in the slot or used on jet sweeps. While he will spend more time in the backfield on Thursday given Green Bay’s current running back situation, it is Williams who may take over the traditional RB1 role.
Coming out of Notre Dame as a sixth-round pick in 2019, Williams is an ideal fit for the Matt LaFleur outside zone run scheme with his burst and one-cut ability. However, in limited action at the NFL level, he has been hesitant, struggled with drops in the passing game, and he is a liability in pass protection. This means we may see plenty of John Lovett as well in that traditional role, especially on passing downs as a blocker.
Even without their top-3 backs potentially, as we saw against Tampa Bay when the Packers became very one-dimensional, it is going to be important for Green Bay to run the ball, even if they aren’t that effective at it. The Niners still need to respect it, which will help open things up in the passing game and make life a bit easier for the offensive line and Aaron Rodgers.
Coming into this game, the 49ers are allowing only 105.6 rushing yards per game, which is the 10th fewest in the NFL. But they will be without Nick Bosa and Dee Ford on the defensive front for this game. It’ll be interesting to see how LaFleur handles the playcalling without both Jones and Williams, and we could be in store for another heavy dose of Rodgers and Davante Adams.