Stock up, stock down for Packers following Week 1 win vs. Bears

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 05: Khalil Mack #52 of the Chicago Bears tackles Aaron Jones #33 of the Green Bay Packers during the first quarter in the game at Soldier Field on September 05, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Stock down: Run game

I get it. Running the football against this Bears defense is incredibly difficult. They’re so fast and dominant up front that it doesn’t matter who you’ve got at running back or along the offensive line, it’s going to be a tough challenge.

Despite that, this wasn’t an ideal start for Matt LaFleur and his philosophy to establish the run. The longest rush by a Packers RB was by Aaron Jones for nine yards. But he was otherwise kept quiet, carrying 13 times for just 39 yards.

Jamaal Williams did have two catches, but his five carries went for a total of zero yards.

Again, we can’t get too carried away here. It was Week 1 in a new offense against arguably the NFL’s best defense. But the Packers will need to run the ball more efficiently this season if they are to be able to truly open up teams with play-action.

What’s clear is that Jones appears to be the featured back in this offense, as expected. He had 13 carries compared to Williams’ five. Williams was on the field for 41 percent of the snaps, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, but if I had to make a guess, it’d be for his pass protection. LaFleur may have brought Williams on more often to give Aaron Rodgers more protection.

Overall, it wasn’t a great start for the run game.

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