The Green Bay Packers found another way to win on Thursday night. With the NFC North looking to be a brutal battle for first place, the Packers did their part in primetime, defeating the Carolina Panthers 27-19. They did so thanks to quarterback Jordan Love once again being at the top of his game, while Green Bay's pass rush sacked Panthers quarterback Bryce Young six times.
A negative? The Packers' ineffective rushing offense. They had the favorable matchup of all favorable matchups, facing a Panthers run defense that has allowed over 250 yards rushing twice this season. Surely, the Packers' running attack featuring Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, Savion Williams, and Pierre Strong Jr. would thrive, right? Nope. In fact, quite the opposite.
Green Bay could only muster 66 rushing yards on 26 carries, giving them an average of 2.5 yards per carry. Jacobs managed to pick up just 39 yards on 21 carries. He did get a rushing touchdown...so there's that, at least?
Packers fans know all too well how bad the rushing offense has been. But now, they know it is historically bad.
Packers' rushing offense has reached historic new lows
According to senior NFL researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno, the Packers have posted fewer than 90 rushing yards in each of their opening eight games. They are just the second team to accomplish this feat since 1950, with the other team doing so being the 1990 Indianapolis Colts, who missed the playoffs that year.
That's not good company to be alongside, especially since the Colts missed the postseason that year. Luckily for the Packers, they do hold a winning record despite this.
In fact, the Amazon Prime broadcast revealed that the 2026 Packers are the first team in NFL history to have a winning record despite accumulating fewer than 500 rushing yards through eight games.
Again, not great, considering the Packers are in a tough division with the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, and Detroit Lions, all of whom have winning records as of Friday. If the Packers want to pull away from the pack, they will need their rushing offense to wake up.
Matt LaFleur sends message to rushing offense after Week 8 dud performance
After the game, head coach Matt LaFleur was asked whether he has belief in the rushing offense. LaFleur bluntly said, "If I'm being honest, probably not a lot." He added that it's up to the coaching staff to figure it out.
LaFleur and the Packers will have to figure out a solution, and soon. Even the return of Jacobs hasn't proved to be enough to help. The lackluster offensive line, especially in the interior, hasn't done a great job of opening up lanes for the running backs.
With that in mind, the Packers should be prioritizing adding a guard by the November 10 trade deadline. Especially considering when they will likely have to catch up, point-wise, with the Bears and Lions in divisional play.
The Packers got five wins even with a lackluster run game. That is commendable. However, it's not sustainable, especially if they plan on contending for a Super Bowl.
Add us as a preferred source on Google