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Matt LaFleur was supposed to prioritize the running game. At least, that’s what he promised when he arrived in Green Bay several months ago.
Instead, the Green Bay Packers have been one of the worst teams both running the football and defending the run through four games. The team ranked 16th in offensive rushing DVOA after three weeks, and they will surely drop further after an abysmal performance on the ground against the Philadelphia Eagles in week four.
Meanwhile, the defense ranked 22nd before that game, which saw the Eagles rush for 5.3 yards per carry. That ranking will surely drop as well, as the team’s overall success in the ground game is truly atrocious.
While the axiom that passing wins games still holds up overall, the run game is still a critical situational piece of the game. You have to be able to run and stop the run in the red zone and on short yardage, and although Aaron Jones has done a good job of finding the endx zone, there are still significant struggles there. Thankfully, at least one analyst thinks the issues are fixable, and we’ll find out in short order with the Packers headed to Dallas on Sunday.
Packers struggling to get into rhythm of the run game | Packersnews.com
The Packers' offense has struggled to find success on the ground this year, ranking 27th in the league with just 3.5 yards per carry. Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams are both averaging an equal 3.3.
Examining why Packers struggled to stop Eagles’ run game | Packers Wire
Meanwhile, the run defense is even worse, ranking 29th with 5.0 yards per carry against. Philly exploited some advantageous matchups on Thursday, as they had a few secret weapons that few other teams can duplicate. Because of the Eagles’ tight ends, Mike Pettine stuck with his nickel and dime defenses to avoid big passing plays, resulting in consistent gains on the ground.
Packers must ‘hit the reset button’ | Packers.com
After Thursday’s painful loss, a tough task awaits in Dallas, so there’s no time to wallow in despair. The Packers took most of the weekend off to get a bit of a breather and will be back at work today to get underway for the week.
Packers get positive news on Jamaal Williams, Davante Adams injuries | ESPN
This news comes from earlier in the weekend and we should know more today or tomorrow, but for now it appears that both of these offensive weapons avoided major injuries on Thursday.
Matt Nagy doesn’t believe Mitch Trubisky’s shoulder injury is serious | Bears Wire
So too did Trubisky, apparently, as the Bears’ QB went down hard on his left shoulder early in Sunday’s win over the Vikings. Keep an eye on this, but if it’s not a major injury, he should be back in plenty of time to play the Packers again in week 15.
La Farge police report multiple disturbances related to Homecoming week - WKBT
If you live in La Farge, Wisconsin (a small town about halfway between Madison and La Crosse), make sure that you get permission from a homeowner before TP’ing the house.