Packers: Four ways to fix offense after loss to Lions in Week 5

1. Give Aaron Jones a featured role

This will be written a million times until Mike McCarthy realizes what the rest of us do: Aaron Jones is the Packers’ most talented running back.

That’s not to take anything away from Jamaal Williams, who ran well on Sunday, or Ty Montgomery, who should certainly be utilized better than he has so far this season. But Jones looks great just about every time he carries the football, and is numbers back it up.

Since his return from suspension in Week 3, Jones has 24 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown, averaging 6.1 yards per attempt. His career average is 5.7 YPC.

Jones adds a jolt of energy to the Packers offense. But every time he gets a couple of carries, McCarthy brings him off the field and continues to rotate the three backs.

And it’s not working. Up against the league’s worst-ranked run defense, the Packers didn’t dominate on the ground like they should.

Game script played a part, of course. Naturally, when you’re down by 24 points at the half you have no choice but to throw more often. But had the Packers fed the ball to Jones early and often in the opening quarter, they may have never fallen so far behind in the first place.

Jones is a playmaker. Give him 19 carries in a game, and he might just put up 125 yards and a touchdown just as he did at Dallas last season. But with just seven carries on Sunday, Jones wasn’t able to make a big impact on the game.

The talented second-year back can be a huge part of this offense if McCarthy just gives him the opportunity.