The good news for Aaron Jones on Sunday came from the numbers the Packers star put up against the Bears in what turned out to be a huge game in Chicago. The other good news for Aaron Jones is actually bad news, which means the bad news on Sunday for Aaron Jones wasn’t so bad. Which is good.
What is it understood as?
Jones posted a monster stat line Sunday in the Week 1 win over Chicago, throwing the ball nine times for 41 yards and a touchdown and catching two catches for 86 yards and a touchdown another in a 38-20 victory.
But Jones also appeared to pull his hamstring on the second touch, and was seen grabbing his left hind thigh before crossing the line for a 6:
26 to play in the third quarter. Jones spent the rest of the game straining and his return was officially in doubt, but never appeared again in the game.
Video taken in the Soldier Field tunnel as the Packers walked to the locker room after the game did not appear to show Jones limping.
“It wasn’t a fumble,” Jones said after the game, adding that he could have returned but was glad the team did not allow him to return to the game. “I’ve pulled my hamstring before and didn’t really feel the pull. It was just a small bite. I’m grateful for that, I always look out for my best interests.
LaFleur turned to Jones after the break
One of the turning points of the first game came in the second half when coach Matt LaFleur decided to make a concerted effort to get Jones more involved in the offense. He touched the ball five times on Green Bay’s first drive, rushing for 22 yards, en route to the Packers’ touchdown, but Jones saw no further action. He had two targeted passes, but both were incomplete.
He touched the ball five times on his first drive of the third quarter, including a perfect carry for 51 yards that gave Green Bay a touchdown and a 17-6 lead.
Jones said the game was easy for him as he didn’t even get hit for most of the run, but the challenge was having to fight the sun to catch it. “It just opened,” Jones said. “The ball is really in the sun. So I just said, “Just catch this ball, just catch this ball. » As soon as I felt it touch my hand, I closed my hand, I turned around and looked at the three big soldiers in front of me, and they were escorting me, you know? It opens immediately. It was a great game and it kept us motivated for the rest of the half.
Jones, a seven-year veteran, is one of the few true survivors of the bygone Aaron Rodgers era, and despite being only 28 years old, he is already the team’s captain and in demand for more leadership position this season. LaFleur praised him after the game.
“He’s a man on the scale,” La Fleur said. “He is very dynamic, very explosive – he plays to his full potential as a footballer. He means a lot to this locker room through his actions, through what he says and what he does every day.
“He’s a real leader in this locker room, he’s a real leader of our team. He inspires people and he comes to work every day with a great attitude.