The Green Bay Packers' running back carousel is still in full swing. They didn't do anything to address Josh Jacobs' injury, disappointing play, and potential suspension at the trade deadline, so help will have to come from inside the building.
That's disappointing, especially considering the fact that the Packers have had the worst rushing attack in the league by a wide margin. No one has separated himself from the rest of the pack, and not finding someone else might cost them their season.
However, as underwhelming as this might be, head coach Matt LaFleur doesn't sound too worried. If anything, he likes Kaleb Johnson's explosiveness, and it sounds like he'll be the biggest beneficiary of Jacobs' absence.
The Packers are ready to roll with Kaleb Johnson... For now
“It was encouraging to see what Kaleb did out there,” said LaFleur. “I thought he did a good job. I thought when there were lanes there, he hit it. I mean, obviously he broke a couple of explosive runs, so that was definitely encouraging to see.”
That's nice and all, but it's hard to feel excited about the running game when the offensive line can't run-block, the play-calling is predictable, and opposing defenses already know what to expect when the Packers run the ball.
Granted, Johnson should've earned the benefit of the doubt by now, given that he's been the only Packers running back who has shown some juice and burst this season, though the bar has also been ridiculously low.
Johnson comes from a run-heavy zone-running system in college, so he's developed solid patience and vision to find gaps in the second level. He's also explosive once he turns the corner, and his tendency to run with a forward lean helps him pick up additional yardage after contact.
That said, ball security has always been a concern with him since his days in college. Even the Packers seemed to send him to the doghouse after a costly fumble, so now watching him turn to him again reeks of desperation and a team that knows they should've done more to fix the running game.
The struggles on the ground haven't come back to haunt this team yet because of the explosive passing game and Jordan Love's career year, but that might not be the case in a win-or-go-home situation.
Teams must have a balanced offense to get the job done in the playoffs when every minor adjustment counts and opposing teams know what to expect from the offense. Hopefully, Johnson will prove the doubters wrong and pay LaFleur's confidence back with his explosiveness. But after nine games, it's hard to feel optimistic about this situation.
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