Green Bay Packers: 3 Ways to fix team for stretch run
By Joe Kipp
Aaron Jones needs a minimum of 20 touches per game
The best coaches find a way to get the ball in the hands of their best players. Does anyone honestly think that Andy Reid, Sean McVay, Josh McDaniels, Sean Payton or Matt Nagy – all of whom are considered to be some of the best offensive minds in the league – wouldn’t have gotten Aaron Jones the ball more than what the Packers have this season?
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Reid didn’t hesitate to make Kareem Hunt the Kansas City Chiefs’ feature back last season as a rookie. The same can be said for the Saints with Payton and Alvin Kamara. In his first year as head coach of the Chicago Bears this season, Nagy has made Tarik Cohen into one of the most dangerous weapons in the NFL.
So why has it taken so long for the Packers to give Jones the bulk of the work? Better yet, why isn’t he getting it even more?
Jones hasn’t received more than 15 carries or 18 total touches in a game this season. In each of the three career games in which he’s logged 15 or more carries, Jones has 125+ rushing yards and a touchdown. Granted, those numbers are bound to go down eventually, but it’s clear that good things happen when he touches the ball.
So far this season, Jones leads the NFL in yards per carry at an average of 6.4 yards. He also showed what he can do in the receiving game against the Seahawks last Thursday night by catching five passes for 63 yards. The screen game was working to near perfection.
So what are the Packers waiting for? There’s no reason Mike McCarthy can’t or shouldn’t make Aaron Jones a workhorse running back. A coach with any semblance of creativity would have by now.