After a dominant start to the season, minds around the NFL are still trying to figure out the Green Bay Packers. Their win over the Cincinnati Bengals was a bit more dominant than the scoreboard suggested, but that can be directed at the defense for still not living up to its full potential.
Certainly, though, the offense left some meat on the bone despite the emergence of Matthew Golden and a more consistent rushing attack. A strong ground game can solve a lot of issues, namely controlling the clock late to stave off a comeback attempt like the Bengals pushed for on Sunday.
Green Bay did take a positive step forward on the ground in Week 6, racking up 153 yards rushing, led by 93 from running back Josh Jacobs, his season high.
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It's not been for lack of effort on the Packers' part to establish a potent running attack. Jacobs came into the week leading the league in carries, but his yardage was coming up below average at just 3.3 yards per carry.
But this late into the season, it's tough to recognize right away if this was a case of playing a poor and banged-up Bengals defense, or if it's a sign of steady growth on the back of early struggles.
It's an important aspect of offensive balance for Green Bay. The team doesn't have much issue getting a lead, but sustaining it has been another story. If the Packers are finding their groove on the ground, they should be able to win games more comfortably with the defense playing at a high, if not frustratingly capped, level.
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Their first test in proving that the ground game is back might not provide definitive answers, though. The Arizona Cardinals carry the 16th-ranked run defense, allowing 4.2 yards per game. Even as they head into the week as the most statistically average run defense in the league, public perception of the Cardinals is only a step higher than a Joe Flacco-led Bengals squad.
That reality just means that Green Bay needs to find consistency on the ground over the course of the next few weeks. Over the next four weeks, only the Pittsburgh Steelers carry a top-10 run defense, and they rank 10th after having some less-than-satisfactory results earlier in the season.
If Green Bay's rushing attack keeps its form, including the Sunday night matchup against Pittsburgh in two weeks, then the issue can be considered solved. If the inconsistencies ring true across those games, then the rushing attack would have to be lumped in with the few, but critical, shortcomings this roster has that can hold them back in the postseason.