Lack of Touches for Jones ‘Not Good Enough’

Other than an opportunity here and there, the Packers inexplicably didn’t give their most-explosive proven playmaker enough chances vs. the Vikings.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Without receivers Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the Green Bay Packers’ most-explosive proven player on offense is running back Aaron Jones.

Inexplicably, Jones had only eight touches in the 23-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. It was a major blunder that can’t happen again.

“That’s not good enough,” coach Matt LaFleur said after the game.

No, it’s not, and that obviously falls on him as the play-caller.

Jones carried five times for 49 yards, a robust 9.8-yard average bolstered by a 29-yard run in the second half. He added three catches for 27 yards, with most of the damage coming on a 22-yard swing pass. Despite getting only 10 opportunities (there were two incompletions thrown his way), he had two of the team’s five longest plays.

Typical of Jones, there would be no “Give me the damn ball” comments.

“No, sir, I’m not frustrated,” he said on Monday. “I just do what I can when my number is called and make the most of every opportunity I get.”

Of the 46 running backs with at least eight touches in Week 1, Jones’ 6.125 yards per touch ranked fourth.

Jones got the ball twice on the opening series, then didn’t get another opportunity until the 12:56 mark of the second quarter, when he had his 22-yard reception. After Jones’ 29-yard run with 9:06 remaining in the third quarter, he didn’t get another opportunity until the final play of the period.

For a coach who preaches getting his “best 11” on the field, it was a massive blunder to make his best playmaker a bit of an afterthought. The first-time team captain wasn’t going to pout, though.

“I can affect the game in other ways as well whether it be pass protection, catching the ball out of the backfield or running it,” Jones said. “Just being there and being there for my team and my teammates, if it’s them who are having a great game or going off and helping us and I’m doing my part, then so be it. It doesn’t matter how many times I’m touching the ball as long as I’m out there contributing to helping my team.”

Sure, but Jones and his backfield buddy, AJ Dillon, can contribute more with the ball in their hands. Dillon at least got some opportunities to get in the flow with 10 carries for 45 yards and a team-high five receptions for 46 yards. During the final drive of the first quarter and the first drive of the second quarter, carried five times and was thrown three passes.

With so many questions on offense, ranging from the health of the offensive line to the reliability of the receiver corps, getting the ball into the hands of Jones and Dillon has to be the formula.

“We need to get them the ball more, especially in the run game,” LaFleur said on Monday. “I thought we were running the ball pretty efficiently. We had a couple of explosive runs. I thought our backs, I really love how they competed. I mean, they were fighting for every inch out there.”

Jones-Dillon packages were a staple of training camp. On the field together for 24 snaps last season, they were paired seven times on Sunday. The breakdown: five passes (one for 23 yards but one for a sack) and two runs (for 6 yards).

“There’s more. Definitely a lot more,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “I’m sure we’ll keep adding to the list, but that was a good start for us with those two guys. You see them. With the ball in their hand, they’re dangerous. Different types of players but we’ve got to keep giving them touches and early touches, too, probably.”