Packers: Aaron Jones deserves to make the Pro Bowl
Aaron Jones has made the most of his opportunities this season, and the Green Bay Packers star running back deserves to make the Pro Bowl.
When Aaron Jones is on the field, the Green Bay Packers offense is better. It really is that simple.
It’s been clear since Jones returned from suspension in Week 3 that he is far and away the best running back on the team, and one of the most important players in the entire offense.
Jones is 18th in the NFL for rushing yards with 606, and he also has six rushing touchdowns, which is impressive considering he not only missed the opening two games of the season, but also wasn’t given a bigger role on offense until recent weeks.
Jones has had 101 carries this season. Among the top 30 running backs for rushing yards, only Mark Ingram has had fewer attempts. For comparison, Ezekiel Elliott leads the league in carries with 217. Todd Gurley has 210 attempts.
Jordan Howard has 162 carries this year, but has 70 fewer rushing yards than Jones. That alone says a lot about Jones’ efficiency.
His six yards-per-attempt average is a league-high. His career average sits at an impressive 5.8 yards per carry.
But as Zach Kruse of Packers Wire pointed out, Jones’ impressive statistics don’t end there:
#Packers RB Aaron Jones is first among NFL RBs in DVOA (per-play efficiency), first among RBs in success rate and second among RBs in DYAR (total value), trailing only Todd Gurley. ⭐️
— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) November 29, 2018
Jones is averaging 67.3 rushing yards per game this season, good for 15th in the NFL. Considering he’s only had 15 or more carries in a game twice this year, that’s particularly impressive.
Jones is 394 yards short of the 1,000-yard mark. If he’s given enough opportunities by head coach Mike McCarthy, he’ll have no trouble hitting that milestone. But only if McCarthy stays committed to the ground game, something he hasn’t done enough this season.
The second-year running back has also improved as a receiver. In his rookie season Jones had just 22 receiving yards. He’s posted 162 yards and a touchdown as a pass catcher in nine games this year.
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The NFC is loaded with talent at the running back position with the likes of Gurley, Elliott, Saquon Barkley, Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey, but Aaron Jones has played at an elite level for the Packers this season and deserves to be very much in contention for a spot in this year’s Pro Bowl.