As the offseason progressed and the Packers 1) hired Matt LaFleur as their head coach and 2) indicated that Aaron Jones would finally break away from Jamaal Williams and become the team’s undisputed RB1, the Aaron Jones hype train began picking up some solid momentum. But if the hype train was the Polar Express, Week 1 against the Bears was the main character yanking the emergency brake so that funny-looking kid could get on. Jones got 13 carries in Chicago — 8 more than Williams — but could only turn them into 39 yards, and his 1 reception in the contest went for no gain. However, Green Bay’s offense turned it around in Week 2 and Jones followed suit — he ended up with 116 yards and a TD on a career-high 23 carries to go along with 4 catches for 34 more yards, re-entering himself firmly into the RB1 conversation.
Finally being able to break free from a committee and become a lead back has been a multi-year process for Aaron Jones, and after Week 1, it appeared we may have to wait even longer. But Jones looked fantastic in Sunday’s win over Minnesota, pacing the offense throughout and breaking out a handful of 10+ yard plays in the process. Jamaal Williams still ended up with double-digit carries and likely will never be completely out of the picture, but Jones proved this week that when he’s on, he’ll produce regardless of workload.
It was especially exciting to see Jones bounce back in such a way against the Vikings, who were fresh off holding Atlanta’s RBs to just 50 yards rushing in Week 1. Things don’t get much easier next week with a home matchup against the Broncos coming up, but Jones’ strong Week 2 performance should have him comfortably in the driver’s seat of Green Bay’s ever-changing backfield.
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