Green Bay Packers v. Lions: 3 X-Factors for Week 2
By Paul Bretl
Green Bay Packers X-Factor No. 2: The run game
It’s been talked about quite a bit this week, and I devoted a full article to the topic, but the Green Bay Packers abandoned the running game way too early against New Orleans.
Now, of course, score and game flow can play a big role in that decision, but Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon having six total carries at about the halfway mark of the third quarter while it was still a two-score game can’t happen either. This offense is predicated on the running game, or at least there being the threat of it.
This week against a Detroit Lions defense that has struggled to defend the run, Jones and Dillon should see plenty of touches. Last season, the Packers would rush for 379 yards in two games against the Lions, including 259 yards in Week 2. This past Sunday against San Francisco, the Detroit defense would allow 5.7 yards per carry and 127 total rushing yards to the Niner running backs.
This is a game where Green Bay should be able to rely heavily on the run game and find quite a bit of success, but that will also open things up in the passing game for Aaron Rodgers and his receivers.