Packers: Top five performers vs. Panthers in Week 10 win
By Jesse Fry
1. Aaron Jones
Aaron Jones and his coming-out party continued on Sunday. Jones had 13 carries for 93 yards and all three of the Packers’ touchdowns. Jones had an outstanding 7.2 yards-per carry average on his 13 touches.
In a battle with a possible MVP candidate in McCaffrey, Jones proved to make the bigger impact. He made smart reads and hit the holes hard and fast when they opened. He is proving to be much more than a scatback, too, with his running inside the red zone and short yardage.
Coach Matt LaFleur is doing a great job of limiting Jones and his exposure, allowing him to stay healthy for the stretch run.
Jones’ development has allowed the Packers good balance in their play-calling. Although Jones didn’t have a catch, he still had to be accounted for in the pass game. When paired with Jamaal Williams on the field at the same time, defenses are still unable to clue in on what the play type is due to both being able to help in all aspects of the game.
With his three touchdowns, Jones was able to get back on top of the NFL leaderboard and is tied with McCaffrey with 14.
If he isn’t already getting some serious talk for Offensive Player of the Year, he should be. Jones is just outside of the top 10 (11th) in rushing with 589 yards, to go with 35 receptions for another 354 yards. At the very least, Jones has as good an argument as anyone for the Packers’ first-half MVP.