Oh, the difference 10 touches can make.
One week after Aaron Jones received just eight total touches in a season-opening defeat in Minnesota, the Green Bay Packers running back turned 18 touches into 170 total yards and two scores in a dominant 27-10 win over the Chicago Bears in primetime at Lambeau Field.
Coach Matt LaFleur wanted even more touches for No. 33, but Jones made the most of what he got on Sunday night.
“Aaron Jones, man, he was absolutely electric,” LaFleur said. “Every time I’d think he was going down he’d somehow find a way to squirt his way through. And he’s just a hell of a competitor, and he’s a guy that just embodies everything that you want in a football player, the way he works, how selfless he is, how he cheers for his teammates, how he supports his teammates. They don’t make many like this guy. He is one of a kind. And we’re lucky to have a guy like that.”
Jones, who rushed for 132 yards, created a play of at least eight yards on all four scoring drives in the first half and a play of at least 15 yards on three of the four. Of his 18 touches, nine gained at least eight yards. He averaged 8.8 yards per attempt over 15 carries and 9.4 yards per touch over 18.
Through two games, Jones has 181 rushing yards on just 20 carries (9.1 yards per carry) and 246 total yards on 26 touches (9.5 per touch).
“He can do a lot of things. Obviously a great running gback. Good vision, slasher. He’s way more elusive in and through contact than you would guess. Bounces off a lot of tackles, really nice stiff arm with both arms, good ball security. The whole other part in the passing game, his ability to run routes and get open and do little things like fly sweeps and different things. We’re just scratching the surface with him, which is fun.”
Here’s a highlight reel of Jones from Sunday night: