Matt Johnson
Many expected the Green Bay Packers to build their offense around running backs Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon this season. With the game on the line in a Week 5 loss to the New York Giants, quarterback Aaron Rodgers and head coach Matt LaFleur repeatedly went away from their outstanding running back combo in a critical situation.
Trailing 27-20 with under 70 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Green Bay faced a third-and-1 from the New York Giants’ 6-yard line. A first down would provide them with four chances to try for the game-tying touchdown and with just over a minute left, there was plenty of time in the game. The sequence also came after Jones picked up nine yards on the previous two plays, putting Green Bay into this situation.
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Instead of putting the ball in Jones’ hands or putting Dillon on the field, Rodgers kept the football and stood in a clean pocket before an attempted pass to Randall Cobb over the middle was batted down at the line. Seconds later on fourth-and-1 with 65 seconds left on the clock, Rodgers’ seemed to signal the play right before the snap. New York read it and with an all-out blitz, the pass to Lazard was batted down easily.
Asked about the two plays after the game, LaFleur revealed that it was a run-pass option in both instances with the back-to-back NFL MVP making the call to throw based on the look the defense showed.
“We had a run-pass option on, and they loaded the box and went Cover 0, and we figured that’s what they were going to do. Unfortunately, had two batted passes.”
Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur on the play-calls at the Giants’ 6-yard line
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It proved costly, capping off a game that saw Green Bay’s offense fail to generate a single point in the second half. Already facing criticism from fans and reporters over the play-calling that resulted in Sunday’s loss, Jones also seemed to have some criticism of the decision after the game.
Aaron Jones questions Green Bay Packers’ decision-making near goal line
Asked by reporters in the locker room about the run-pass options after the loss, Jones expressed his confidence that either he or Dillon would have easily picked up the necessary yardage for a first down if given the opportunity. While he acknowledged that he might have seen the defense differently than Rodgers, it’s clear there was some frustration from the Pro Bowl running back.
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“I’d put my money on giving me or AJ Dillon two downs to get two yards, I’d put my money on it. At the same time, I’m not the quarterback, so I don’t know what A-Rod’s seeing, and they made a good defensive play to bat it down. So we just go back to the drawing board, put our heads down and keep working.”
Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones on run-pass option (H/T Cody Krupp)
Issues with the decision-making from Rodgers and LaFleur might extend beyond the final plays on the failed game-winning drive. There might also be frustration from what transpired during the previous possession.
New York’s offense came out of halftime with three long drives. The first was an 11-play, 56-yard series that ate up 7 minutes and 3 seconds off the clock, ending with a field goal. A few minutes later, the Giants delivered a 15-play, 91-yard touchdown drive that chewed up another 8 minutes off the clock. Late in that drive, Green Bay’s defense looked gassed.
Instead of running the football, Rodgers attempted three passes including two deep shots to Lazard that easily fell incomplete. The three-and-out took only 26 seconds off the clock, putting an exhausted Packers’ defense back on the field. Six plays later, New York scored the game-winning touchdown.
It’s not as if Dillon and Jones were ineffective on Sunday. The duo turned 19 touches into 97 rushing yards, an outstanding 5.1 yards per rush. Green Bay’s offense has been carried by its running backs this season with the passing attack ineffective in every game. Yet the ball was put in Rodgers’ hands with the game on the line and it backfired. Heading into Week 6, only time will tell whether or not frustrations in the locker room result in necessary changes.
