The good news is that Aaron Jones is not listed on the latest Green Bay Packers injury report.
But that doesn’t mean he’ll be fully available for Sunday’s game against Minnesota.
“He’s done so much,” Matt LaFleur said. “But we’re still smart about it.
“I don’t think it’s 100 percent.”
Jones suffered a hamstring injury in the Packers’ season opener at Chicago.
He missed the next two games after coming back short against Detroit and then missed the following week’s game in Las Vegas after tweaking his hamstring during Saturday’s practice.
Jones was available in Broncos, but it is still not maximum capacity.
He scored 23 attack snaps, 35 yards of 8 carry and four goals of 22 yards.
AJ Dillon has 36 snaps and Emanuel Wilson has 5.
“It’s the best I’ve felt since my injury in Chicago,” Jones said Friday.
“If I don’t get 100% on Sunday, I’ll probably get there next Sunday.
It’s like someone puts a smile on my face because I feel like I’m getting there and getting through it.
The Packers offense struggled to get anything going early in the game.
The reasons are numerous, but a big one is the continued absence of Jones, the offense’s best player.
This week, Green Bay faced a very aggressive Vikings defense that relies heavily on offense and uses a variety of players.
Minnesota’s defensive efficiency is over 56 percent, according to Pro Football Reference. The closest team was New England at 42 percent.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores also does a good job of protecting his personnel, which could cause problems for the young forward.
Given the Vikings’ defensive style and the Packers’ offensive line issues, relying on a quick passing game to quickly get the ball out of Jordan Love’s hands and out of his hands will be a key factor in this game.
Fast by Jordan Love.
He is a pass catcher in space who hopes to gain yards after the potential catch.
Of course, it’s best to use Jones as often as possible in this position.
Assuming he returns to the field based on comments from Jones and LaFleur, we’ll likely see more of Dillon playing his best football over the last two weeks.
During that time we saw a much more determined and physical version of Dillon.
He totaled 137 yards rushing at 4.0 yards per attempt.
That’s well above his average of 2.7 yards per catch earlier this season.
“He did a good job,” LaFleur said Monday.
“He’ll go down and finish the run and that’s what we expect from him.
It has a large and low back. We have put pressure on him in recent weeks to perform better and hopefully he will continue to do so.
With so many quarterbacks often flying close to the line of scrimmage, the Vikings have done very well this season, allowing just 3.6 yards per rush.
That’s the sixth-lowest figure in the NFL. As we’ve seen all year, the drive will almost inevitably end in one game as Green Bay can’t sustain the run, faces predictable passing situations and gets unlucky early.
In these cases, the defense can follow the dictation and gain an advantage.
They can get into favorable matchups and have the ability to be the aggressor, which is the calling card of the Minnesota defense and what they want.
“We knew we had to come out fast, like we played with our backs against the wall in the second half,” Jones added. We just have to go out and attack with that mindset.
Whoever opposes you, attack him.
When you break the ball, run and kick it and focus.