Getty Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers and Von Miller #40 of the Buffalo Bills talk during the third quarter of a game at Highmark Stadium on October 30, 2022 in Orchard Park.
The Buffalo Bills took an early lead against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football and never lost it. During the third quarter, while the Packers were down by 17 points, quarterback Aaron Rodgers kept handing the ball off to running backs.
Rodgers’ lack of urgency or attempts to make a big passing play surprised not just NFL analysts, but the Bills’ defense. While Packers running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon combined rushed for 197 yards on 30 carries, each of those gains took significant time off the clock.
NewYorkUpstate.com‘s Ryan Talbot noted how when the second half of the game started — the score was 24-7 — Green Bay rushed the ball five consecutive times which led to a field goal, a score which Buffalo matched on the following drive. When Rodgers got the ball back, the Packers ran the ball seven more times, which ended up in a turnover.
The lack of big passing plays, especially when Green Bay has a four-time MVP leading the offense, was so perplexing to Bills’ linebacker Von Miller that he approached Rodgers during the third quarter to ask him what was going on.
“I was taken aback a little bit because I’m like, ‘Hey, y’all got to pass the ball, don’t y’all?’ That’s just me,” Miller said during his postgame press conference. “Of course, I want to get sacks and I want to rush the passer, and I want to do all this stuff. So I was like, ‘Okay, they gotta start passing the ball. They gotta start passing the ball.’ But nope, they just kept on running. I even asked them, I even asked Aaron Rodgers. On that 4th and 1, I was like, ‘Hey, you’re not gonna drop back and pass the ball?’”
While Rodgers gave Miller an answer, the eight-time Pro Bowler kept the quarterback’s answer private. “I’m not gonna tell you what he said because that’s my guy,” Miller said. “I don’t want to get anything started. I was just, it was a shocker for me personally.”
Miller Said the Packers’ Lack of Passing ‘Shocked’ Him
GettyVon Miller #40 of the Buffalo Bills rushes the quarterback during the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Highmark Stadium on October 30, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York.
While Miller wouldn’t reveal what Rodgers said, he kept pining on the Packers’ lack of attack on offense. “Me personally, I was shocked that they ran the ball so much,” Miller continued. “They have Aaron Rodgers and with previous bouts, I was just expecting him to have a little bit more control. So, I was kind of anticipating him passing the ball a little bit more, and they just kept running and running and running.”
“And I think, for me personally, it just caught me off guard. And I had like, some lanes open where they could run the ball and stuff because I was just playing the pass. I’m looking at the scoreboard and I’m seeing it went by 17 points, it’s two minutes left in third quarter and I’m thinking that they got to start passing the ball soon. But nope, they just kept running it and they ran the ball.”
Head Coach Sean McDermott was Proud of the Bills’ Run Game Vs. the Packers
GettyDevin Singletary #26 of the Buffalo Bills rushes during the first half against the Green Bay Packers at Highmark Stadium on October 30, 2022.
While the Bills are reportedly in the market to land an elite running back before the November 1 trade deadline, Devin Singletary and James Cook had one of their best games of the season against Green Bay’s defense. Singletary had a 30-yard rush in the first half, his longest of the season, per the Bills’ official website.
Overall, Buffalo had 13 carries for 107 carries while averaging 8.2 yards per carry, per One Bills Live host Chris Brown.
“It was good to see,” head coach Sean McDermott said of their run game. “I mean, we were two dimensional in those situations. And I thought the offensive line really did a good job and I think ‘Motor’ (Singletary) was the one carrying the ball maybe James (Cook) as well a couple of times there.”
Quarterback Josh Allen also threw Singletary some love. “I thought Devin had some unbelievable cuts,” Allen said. “I think our front five and our tight ends did a great job of communicating and blocking who we needed to block. I think James had a little spark there for us, too.” Cook finished in Week 8 with five rushes for 35 yards and one reception for 41 yards.