Josh Jacobs' injury exposes Packers' glaring run-game flaw

Kaleb Johnson has a chance to seize the backfield

Johnson carried 14 times for 68 yards against the Patriots, including a 34-yard run and a 2-yard touchdown, The Athletic reported.

That was Green Bay’s best rushing day of the year. His 4.9 yards per carry compares with a team average of 2.9 through eight games, and the Packers’ 60.6 rushing yards per game over that stretch was the lowest mark by any team this decade, per TruMedia.

LaFleur liked what he saw: “I thought when there were lanes there, he hit it.”

Johnson’s role had shrunk after a fumble at the Tampa Bay 1-yard line in Week 4, and he sat out two games as a healthy scratch.

The backfield gets crowded when Brooks returns

Brooks, on injured reserve with an ankle injury, was limited in Thursday’s practice. LaFleur pointed to his coming return as one reason the Packers might not add outside help, per The Athletic.

Green Bay keeps only three backs active on game day, which could leave Strong, a passing-down option, as the odd man out once Brooks is activated. Lloyd, meanwhile, missed last week’s game with a knee injury, and his status was unclear earlier this week.

The Packers are 6-3 despite a ground game that was historically thin through eight weeks, and Jordan Love earned offensive player of the week honors for Week 9, NFL.com reported.

That is the cleanest explanation for the record: the passing game carries the offense, and the backs mostly have to avoid mistakes. Ball security is the real audition. Johnson’s Tampa fumble cost him weeks of playing time, and LaFleur has been blunt that the bench is where fumblers end up.

One 68-yard game is a small sample, and half of it came on a single run. If Jacobs returns at the optimistic end of the estimates, the committee only has to cover a handful of games. A defense that sells out against the run will show quickly whether Johnson’s day against New England was a trend or a one-off.