The run game needed to be a key part of the Green Bay Packers’ game plan on offense against Kansas City, and A.J. Dillon shouldered that workload, playing a key role in Green Bay’s win.
“He played really great,” said Jordan Love post game. “He ran the ball hard. Obviously at the end of the game, when there’s a situation where the defense knows you’re going to run it and he’s still putting his head down and getting those tough yards. He’s a warrior. He’s going to fight through tackles and get us those extra yards. He’s just a warrior.”
The Packers were without Aaron Jones, who is still recovering from an MCL sprain, and in general, this has not been a very good rushing offense this season. But when it came to attacking this Chiefs’ defense, the run game is where that unit has been the most susceptible.
Kansas City came into the game with statistically one of the best pass defenses in football, allowing just 5.6 yards per pass attempt this season. However, on the ground, they were allowing 4.6 yards per carry, which ranked 28th. In recent weeks, Josh Jacobs averaged 5.5 yards per rush against the Chiefs, D’Andre Swift 6.3 yards, and Raheem Mostert 7.1.
By comparison, Dillon wasn’t overly dominant by any means, totaling 73 yards on 18 carries, but those 4.1 yards per rush were incredibly effective. Patrick Taylor also had a career long run of 24 yards and another for five yards.
When an offense is able to lean on their run game, there is a positive trickle-down effect to the rest of that unit. As we saw against Kansas City, a big part of Jordan Love’s productive performance was off the use of play-action, which of course, is set up by the run game. Overall, Love finished the game completing 25-of-36 passes for 267 yards with three touchdowns.
A good run game keeps the offense ahead of the sticks and out of those pesky obvious passing downs—something that gave Green Bay issues early on in the season. On one drive in particular in the second half where a delay of game penalty put the Packers in a long down-and-distance situation, the drive quickly stalled out with the Chiefs pass rush able to tee-off.
A steady rushing attack also takes away the pass rush’s bite when they have to worry about defending both the run and the pass on a given play, further helping the offensive line against a Chiefs defense that entered Week 13 ranked second in pressure rate this season.
“It helps us a lot,” said Elgton Jenkins about having a run game to lean on. “Those guys thinking we are going to run the ball because we are running it good, getting four or five yards a pop, so it slows down their rush, especially on the play-action pass because they are trying to stop the run. By the time they find out it’s the pass, J-Love throwing a dot to somebody. It works hand-in-hand, it works real good together.”
Dillon has looked like a completely different running back over the last month of the season compared to the first month of the year. During this recent span of games, Dillon is averaging 4.2 yards per rush and 3.09 yards after contact, compared to only 3.0 yards per attempt and 2.44 yards after contact through the first five games. He has been a much more decisive as a runner and that is resulting in him looking more explosive and being more powerful.
Before the season began, Dillon said that rather than trying to be perfect, he wanted to be dominant. Running backs coach Ben Sirmans has echoed similar sentiments this season as well, mentioning that he wants to see Dillon’s natural abilities take over more. As of late, that has been the case, and it was a key factor in Green Bay’s win over Kansas City.
“Just the mentality,” said Dillon in the locker room. “I’ve been looking for things each week. Last week I was going through injuries and stuff, first time I ever used eye-black in my entire life, I put blinders like horse-blinders. I saw a Tik-Tok before the game when we were driving over, and it was talking about horses and the reason they wear them is they hear the crowd, they hear the noise but they keep putting one foot in front of the other. This week our whole message was the hunter’s mentality.
“So for me, it’s aligning myself with things to have that extra fuel and stay in that mindset, stay in that mode. I’m going to keep tyring to do the best I can. I’m not looking at it like, oh man I had a great five, six weeks or whatever. It’s one week at a time. I’m looking at it, there’s still plays today that I wish I could have back, there’s still ways I can improve to get better.”