The Green Bay Packers have struggled to score touchdowns from the 1-yard line.
The Packers also drafted a 247-pound running back who has yet to be unleashed as a rookie.
Could A.J. Dillon be the antidote to the Packers’ on-going issues scoring touchdowns from near the goal line?
According to Bill Huber of SI.com, the Packers rank 31st out of 32 NFL teams in touchdown conversion rate from the 1-yard line over the last two seasons, scoring touchdowns on just 32.0 percent of plays since hiring coach and playcaller Matt LaFleur.
The Packers have failed on three out of five opportunities on 4th-and-1 this season, including a stuffed run by both Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams. Two of the failures came on fourth down from the 1-yard line, including a dropped throw to Davante Adams in the season opener and a stopped run from Williams against the Atlanta Falcons. Jones was stuffed near midfield in the fourth quarter of a tied game against the New Orleans Saints in Week 3.
Last season, the Packers lost a game at home to the Philadelphia Eagles after failing twice deep in the scoring area.
The Packers have relied on Jones and Williams as the primary runners to start 2020, suggesting they’ll continue to get the majority of the opportunities at running back, especially in high-leverage situations like fourth down. Dillon, meanwhile, has played only 15 snaps and handled eight carries, most coming in garbage time of blowouts.
Maybe more Dillon could be the answer.
Dillon scored 38 touchdowns at Boston College, including seven from between 1-3 yards out. He’s big and physical and tough to get to the ground, making him a potential asset in short-yardage situations, especially if the Packers want to line up in heavy formations and run the ball without much pre-snap illusion.
Remember, no college running back ran against more 8-man boxes than Dillon last season. The Boston College offense revolved around giving him the ball, regardless of the defense. Dillon is well-versed at picking his way through traffic and finding openings, which should be valuable skills on short-yardage downs when defenses stack the box and commit extra resources up front to stopping the run.
Of course, teams will key on Dillon if he’s coming into the game in repetitive game situations, so the Packers would need to find ways of masking the obvious. It’s even possible the Packers could use Dillon as a decoy to set up other things.
There’s no faulting LaFleur for using Jones and Williams in these situations. They have different skill sets, but they’re proven runners who have earned the opportunities, regardless of down or situation. Jones is as quick to the line as any runner in football, and Williams runs with a boundless energy that is made for fighting for one yard.
Still, Dillon’s size and punishing running style also fit the job description. The Packers don’t have many areas to improve on offense after four games in 2020, but finally unleashing Dillon might help solve one such problem.
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