Packers: Three standout performances from Week 15 win vs. Panthers

1. Aaron Jones

Stat line: 20 carries, 145 yards, 1 TD, 3 catches, 13 yards

Just how important is the run game to the success of the Packers? Just look how badly the offense struggles when it’s taken away or neglected.

This game is a testament to how much.

Green Bay was humming along and looking almost unstoppable in the first half and then could do next to nothing in the second.

In a contract year, Aaron Jones may have just made himself some more money.

Jones absolutely shredded the Panthers defense in the first half with over 100 yards rushing and a touchdown, including a long 46-yard run on the Packers’ first third down of the game.

Then the Packers went away from him and didn’t give him the right amount of touches until the Panthers started to creep back into the game.

Part of the reason the offense went away from Jones could have been they didn’t want to overuse him. Jamaal Williams left the game with a quad injury and AJ Dillion is only in his second game back from a long absence due to COVID. That left Jones as the only fully healthy true running back for the Packers.

Aaron Rodgers is still in the thick of the NFL MVP race but on Saturday, Jones and the run game showed just how important he is to Rodgers and the offense’s success.