The Green Bay Packers finally have a win they can celebrate. After an epic collapse in Week 1, the Packers were on the opposite side of that, as they received a helping hand from the New York Jets to pick up the 20-17 victory. It was far from a great overall game for the team, but keeping pace with the rest of the NFC North is a huge plus.
There were standouts from the Week 2 victory, with pass rusher Lukas Van Ness being one of them. But one player who really made the most of their snaps was running back Kaleb Johnson. After not logging a single carry in Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings, not only did Johnson log snaps, but led the team in rushing.
The Packers should send a thank you to the Pittsburgh Steelers for sending Johnson to Green Bay.
Kaleb Johnson made the most of opportunity in Packers debut
Johnson didn't have the chance to make his debut in Week 1, due in part to the Vikings' defense shutting down the Packers' rushing offense to just 66 yards on 21 carries. MarShawn Lloyd was the leading rusher with just 37 yards on 13 carries.
In rainy New Jersey, and with Lloyd not showing much improvement in terms of yards per carry, Johnson received his opportunity. Head coach Matt LaFleur called eight running plays for Johnson, where he picked up 32 yards. Sure, it's not a huge amount of yardage, but he made the most of his carries. He showed physicality on his runs and was moving his feet to try and gain extra yardage. He even got the first carry of overtime, where he gained 11 yards for the first down.
With the Packers facing uncertainty as to when Josh Jacobs will return, Johnson made the most of his chance to make a lasting impression on LaFleur.
It sure sounds like the Packers are going to give Kaleb Johnson more carries in Week 3
After the game, LaFleur praised Johnson and said that he should be in line for more opportunities on offense.
"We'll continue to work with him. There's some things we can clean up. But I think he's getting more comfortable with our offense, with the terminology, with out protection schemes. So, he'll probably earn more opportunities," said LaFleur.
The Packers are set to make their home debut this season on Thursday against the Atlanta Falcons. The NFC South team has a ton of question marks on offense, but their rush defense has been solid through the first two weeks of the season, allowing an average of 63.0 rushing yards per game, which is the best in the NFL.
It is a bit surprising that the Steelers would give up so quickly on Johnson. Granted, the team did hire Mike McCarthy to replace Mike Tomlin as head coach and brought in Rico Dowdle, so there wasn't much room on the roster. That's why the Steelers were willing to give up Johnson for a sixth-round pick.
The Packers should be grateful that the Steelers did, as they might have a diamond in the rough in the backfield.
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