It may be unfamiliar, but what if the most important Aaron for the Green Bay Packers in 2019 didn’t play the quarterback position?
In recent years, fans and pundits have grown accustomed to the overall success of the Packers being hinged on the individual success of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
That hasn’t been the case in 2019. A breakout season from running back Aaron Jones has helped carry the team to a 13-3 record. The Packers’ star running back led the entire NFL in both rushing touchdowns (16) and total touchdowns (19) during the 2019 regular season, and he accounted for 28.2% of the Packers’ total offensive yardage.
Jones’ presence (along with first-year coach Matt LaFleur) has helped change the landscape of the Packers’ offense. Green Bay jumped from 333 rushing attempts in 2018 (32nd in NFL) to 411 rushing attempts in 2019 (13th).
But despite that, Jones eclipsed 13 rushing attempts in a single game just five times in 16 games and averaged 14.8 attempts per game.
“I don’t want to take for granted how physical a position he (Jones) plays,” LaFleur recently stated. “And when I look at just how long the season is, it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”
“You’re always trying to find the right balance. Are we getting him the ball enough, and not really wearing him out?”
That’s been the biggest question from nearly everyone for the past three seasons: Are the Packers giving Jones the ball enough? But as LaFleur said, the season is a marathon, not a sprint.
Maybe that’s why Jones logged a season-high in carries (23 and 25, respectively) during the final two games of the regular season. Could it be that LaFleur was trying to preserve his star running back for a potential playoff-run all along?
The Packers play host to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at Lambeau Field in the Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs, and utilizing Jones to the fullest extent will be the key to victory.
For starters, according to Bill Barnwell of ESPN, with Jones on the field this season the Packers’ offense is ranked third in the entire NFL in expected points added per play.
Expected points added, or EPA, is a metric that seeks to measure the value of individual plays by calculating the down, distance and field position at the start of a play, then contrasting it with the end result of the play.
It’s easy to spot that when Jones is on the field the offense runs more smoothly, whether he has the ball or not. But when he does have the ball, he’s one of the most dynamic players in the entire league.
Jones led the NFL in broken tackles (42) during the regular season, tallying 32 broken tackles on running plays and 10 broken tackles on passing plays. Jones also averaged 3.2 yards after contact per rush attempt, according to Pro Football Focus. More impressively, he tallied 750 rushing yards after contact, which means of his 1,084 rushing yards, 69.2% occurred after being contacted by a defender.
Jones also finished the regular season as the No. 5 highest-graded running back by Pro Football Focus. He was the only running back in the entire NFL to receive a grade of over 80.0 as both a runner and receiver.
All of those are impressive stats. But how does the matchup against the Seahawks figure to play out?
The Seahawks have a rather poor run-defense, especially recently. In their last four games, Seattle has allowed an average of 5.32 yards per carry. Against running backs, they’ve allowed 5.05 yards per carry over that same span.
During the regular season, Seattle allowed 117.8 rushing yards per game (22nd in the NFL), 4.8 yards per carry (27th), and 22 total rushing touchdowns (30th). Additionally, the Seahawks gave up 18 rushing touchdowns to running backs (31st) and allowed a rushing touchdown in 12-of-16 games.
But Jones isn’t just a runner. He’s a dynamic playmaker who can do everything, which includes catching the ball out of the backfield. He finished the season with 49 receptions for 474 receiving yards. Meanwhile, the Seahawks allowed 817 receiving yards to running backs (29th).
The biggest roadblock standing in the way of a monster performance from Jones comes in the form of defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney is easily the Seahawks’ best run-defender, but has been battling a core muscle injury for the past two months and was listed on the injury report as ‘limited’ after Wednesday’s practice.
But even with Clowney, Jones may be too much to handle. After all, the Packers are well-rested after a first-round bye and are playing at home, where they’re 18-5 all-time in the postseason.
Jones appears poised for a big day, but the question remains: Will the Packers utilize him as such? It stands to reason that Jones should see at least 25 touches if Green Bay wants to come out on top.