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Don’t look now, but the Green Bay Packers are rolling.
Sitting at 7-1 now, after a huge win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, the Packers are in prime position for a playoff spot and hold a lead in the NFC North. A first-round bye is a real possibility, and this team looks like it’s the real deal.
And after a bit of a sluggish start to the season on offense, Aaron Rodgers’ unit is kicking things into high gear now. The Packers scored more than 30 points for the third time in the past four games, a stretch that has entirely come without number one receiver Davante Adams. But while Adams is out, LaFleur and Rodgers have found a game-breaking weapon in running back Aaron Jones, a player who is suddenly in the conversation — if not at the forefront of it — for being the NFL’s best receiving running back.
Jones is now up to 355 passing yards on the season, which puts him third on the team behind Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. His 42 targets and 34 receptions rank him first, and he is now on pace for over 1,600 yards of total offense. And he is leading all NFL running backs in receiving as well, passing up Christian McCaffrey this week and recording a better catch rate and yards per reception than the Panthers’ back.
Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers continues to do things that astound even the most loyal watcher of Packers games. His touchdown throw to Jamaal Williams on Sunday was one that many Packers fans — this writer included — didn’t even see live, assuming that Rodgers was simply throwing the football away. But no, the throw was absolutely a deliberate one, as he somehow connected with the Packers’ “other” running back for a go-ahead score.
It’s a ton of fun watching and following this team right now. And once Adams returns, that should only make things more enjoyable.
Packers’ offense riding Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams for all they’re worth | Packers.com
Through about 55 minutes of Sunday's game, it was Jones and Williams largely doing work in the passing game against the Chiefs' outmatched linebackers. Then for the final five minutes, Jones did the dirty work and ran out the clock against a poor run defense.
Packers get aggressive to put away Chiefs late: ‘Let’s throw it to Jonesy’ | Packers Wire
The biggest play of that final drive was the third-and-five call. Here's a look behind the decision making on that play, as both Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur discussed it after the game. LaFleur stayed true to his "all gas, no brake" mantra from last week and his players got the conversion needed to end the game.
Playmakers deliver for Packers in victory over Chiefs | Packersnews.com
While Jones got the headlines, a few other players -- think Jamaal Williams and Allen Lazard -- made some key plays to move the chains and get into the end zone.
Packers' Aaron Jones becomes Aaron Rodgers' favorite target in win - ESPN
That matchup with the linebackers was an obvious one, even if the Packers didn't run the ball much through most of the game. Instead, Rodgers completed all 11 targets when linebackers were the primary coverage man, including both of Jones' big plays and Williams' touchdown.
‘Who is that to?’: Inside Aaron Rodgers’ incredible touchdown pass to Jamaal Williams – The Athletic
Speaking of that Williams touchdown, here's a closer look at how it came about. Rodgers talks about how he put it up as a jump ball for Jimmy Graham as a plan A, but he knew that he had someone flashing behind Graham who could have a chance at the football if Jimmy wasn't able to make a play. Plan B worked perfectly.
Kentucky home damaged by mystery canister-type object, owner says | USA Today
The FAA has investigated the item and has no clue what it is. It's not from a train. It has a bar code and nobody can read it. At this point, the only remaining option is aliens.