Green Bay Packers: Aaron Jones with Chance to Play vs. Rams

Less than two weeks ago, Aaron Jones left the Green Bay Packers Week 10 matchup with Seattle early due to a knee injury. Initially, we did not know the severity or how much time Jones would miss, but I imagine many assumed the worse.

Fortunately, the injury turned out to be an MCL sprain, an injury that Jones has had on a few occasions, and he was expected to miss just 1-2 weeks of action.

After not practicing and missing the game against Minnesota this past Sunday, Jones has been at practice the last two days in a limited fashion. According to Matt LaFleur, Jones looked really good on Wednesday, and they’ll see how he fares the rest of the week as well as how he feels on Sunday before determining if he’s ready to play or not–but it does sound like there is a chance.

"“Aaron did a nice job out at practice,” said head coach Matt LaFleur of Jones’ work on Wednesday via Packer Report. “Certainly, we’re going to see how he progresses throughout the week and see where he is on Sunday.”"

In Jones’ absence, AJ Dillon was a fine RB1 and handled those responsibilities well. He would carry the ball 11 times and rush for 53 yards (4.8 YPA) against Minnesota and also catch all six of his targets for another 44 yards. Dillon was also very good in pass protection picking up blitzes.

But even so, obviously, Jones’ presence was still missed–as a runner, pass-catcher, motion-man, and blocker, he brings so much to this team.

"“He’s just a guy that just continues to get better and better as the season goes along,” said Matt LaFleur via Forbes. “And it’s not always in the production either. It’s just everything he does, the way he approached the daily grind, the preparation, what he does when he’s not getting the ball is the epitome of a team player. And we sure are lucky to have a guy as dynamic as he is.”"

It’s easy to look at this Green Bay Packers’ offense with Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams and think of the potent passing attack. But in reality, this unit is at its best when going through Jones, Dillon, and the run game.

A good run/pass mix for this offense, of course, can keep defenses guessing, but it also sets up play-action and boots, not to mention that getting either back involved in the quick passing game is a plus as well–all of which is what we want more of from this offense.

This week against the Rams, in particular, finding success on the ground and getting the ball out of Rodgers’ hands quickly is going to be a must if Green Bay hopes to find success on offense. Their patch-work offensive line will be up against Aaron Donald, and a Rams pass rush that ranks third by PFF’s grading system, second by ESPN’s pass rush win rate and a team that is seventh in total pressures.

Now, it’s not as if running the ball is going to be easy either, with the Rams allowing only 4.0 yards per rush–the fifth-fewest in football. But getting pass-heavy and Rodgers holding on to the ball is going to be a recipe for disaster.

Green Bay will need to get Jones and Dillon the ball in the run game, let this young offensive line be the aggressor and fire off the ball, and utilize the running backs in the passing game as a way to find mismatches and to get the ball out quickly. It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to get both backs on the field together either.

"“I don’t think Donald was 100 percent and they didn’t have Von Miller,” Rodgers said of the difference from last year via SI. “Obviously, they added him to the mix and a healthy Aaron Donald is a menace to any offense he goes against. We’re going to have to have a good plan for the protection. Last year, we ran the ball pretty well. That’s always going to be a part of what we’re trying to do.”"

With all of that said, just because Jones is back at practice and Green Bay will see how he’s feeling on Sunday before making a decision, that does not mean that Jones is guaranteed to play either.

As we all know, this Green Bay Packers medical staff is very conservative when it comes to handling injuries–and for reference, when Jones sprained his MCL during the 2017 season, he would miss two games. On the two other occasions, he would not come back; however, those two injuries occurred during the end of non-playoff seasons–so I think it’s fair to say that was more precautionary than anything.

It’s also worth pointing out that while every player and injury is different, just one week ago, Rashan Gary was a limited participant all three practice days, but ultimately, the Green Bay Packers decided to keep him out of Sunday’s game.

I, of course, have no insight into what the Packers will decide to do with Jones on Sunday but want to add as much context as possible. So for the time being, we will continue to wait and see what happens, but in a week where the Green Bay Packers could really use Jones back in the mix, there is the possibility that he will return.