Getty Aaron Jones of the Packers after suffering a knee injury against the Chargers
For the Green Bay Packers, dealing with what has been a nonstop Aaron Jones injury cycle this season has not been easy. Jones was brilliant in his Week 1 outing against the Bears, tallying 127 yards from scrimmage with two touchdowns, but pulled his hamstring in that game. He has been hit-or-miss since then, missing two weeks with the hamstring, then missing another game in Week 5 when it was aggravated.
Just as he was beginning to round into form, it was another big Aaron Jones injury, to his knee, in Week 11 against the Chargers. He missed the Packers’ two big wins against the Lions and Chiefs.
After practice on Friday, Jones admitted that the season has been a tough one for him—but that he is looking forward, not backward.
Aaron Jones is back after missing last two games.
No Savage, Watson or Walker today.
“I gotta remember the tough times don’t last forever but it is about the process,” Jones said at his locker. “It’s about these guys in this locker room. I may not be out there having the year that I want to have or be on the field how I want to be, but it is still about how can I come in here and impact the guys and lead these guys and make sure that they’re ready to play. So my part and be able to provide that spark and be a boost to them.”
‘I Have Done Good in That Role’
One of the difficult aspects of this Aaron Jones injury-packed season has been his inability to be a strong on-field leader, which was expected to be part of his role as the team transitioned out of the Aaron Rodgers era and into the Jordan Love era. The roster is the youngest in the NFL. Jones turned 29 last week, and with tackle David Bakhtiari out with a knee injury, he is the oldest offensive player on the active roster.
He has tried to be a positive light in the locker room, but that can sometimes be tough, too.
“I think I have done good in that role,” he said. “It can be tough times, sometimes I have to snap myself out of it or get myself going. Realize what’s going on and where I’m at. Pull yourself together. Like I said, it is all about these guys. It is never about yourself, it is about the people around you.
“I go around and I tell them every day in my heart just how proud I am of these guys just for sticking together. This is everything that we spoke about when we were going through that little stretch, that little lull when we weren’t winning.”
Aaron Jones Injury: Monday Night Football Return?
Certainly, the Packers could use a late-season spark as the team seeks to make a run at a playoff spot, with four wins in their last five games. That could from getting back Aaron Jones injury-free. He has just 245 yards rushing this season, 35.0 per game and 3.7 per carry. But he is capable of being a game-breaker.
Before this season, remember, Jones had topped 1,000 yards rushing in three straight seasons, and has a career yards-per-carry mark of 5.0. He is at 3.7 yards per carry this year.
So will we see him on Monday against the Giants? He was not a full participant in practice on Friday but he is still hopeful about Monday.
“I’m feeling better,” Jones said. “Just being able to get back out there with my guys, I was involved with group. Just making that progress and hopefully I can come out tomorrow and get involved with some team (practice) and that will be kind of telling and helpful going forward.
“I have played at 70% or less before so, as long as everything is stable, I am fine, I can take a hit, I am able to get up to a decent amount of speed, I can play through pain and things like that. … I feel like I’m close, it’s just a matter of getting up to that full speed, but I feel like I am close.”