The Green Bay Packers‘ rushing attack has been one of the worst in the NFL so far this year. Sitting at 5-3, head coach Matt LaFleur admitted that it is hard to find anything that gives him confidence in their rushing attack improving.
“I mean if I’m being honest, probably not a lot right now,” said LaFleur on his confidence in the run game. “And that’s our job as coaches. We got to figure it out because it’s not good enough.”
LaFleur noted that the Packers struggled to put a game away where they led 27-13 with less than 10 minutes to go in the game. Then, up by eight with less than five minutes to go, they failed to put the game away on the ground.
“We tried to lean on the run game, and we went backwards,” LaFleur bluntly stated. “So that’s an area of emphasis that we have to improve upon because it just puts a lot of pressure on your pass game to continue to find ways to move the ball down the field. We have got to find something that we can hang our hat on in the run game and unfortunately we have not done that yet.”
As a team, the Packers had 26 rushes for 66 yards in Week 8. Josh Jacobs led the way with 21 rushes for 39 yards.
Green Bay Packers Run Game Struggles
The Packers offense currently ranks 17th in expected points added per play, at 0.010. They rank 27th in offensive success rate, at 40%.
However, their passing offense is 11th in EPA per pass, at 0.142, and their success rate is 22nd at 43%. Meanwhile, they rank 32nd in EPA per rush, at -0.266, and they are 30th in success rate at 33%. If it were not for explosive passes, this offense would not have a pulse.
Josh Jacobs was expected to be a solution on the ground. However, their EPA per rush is -0.176 since Week 7, a slight improvement, up to 20th in the NFL. Their success rate is up to 35%. This is 20th as well, and a slight improvement.
As LaFleur notes, it is not good enough.
Packers Offensive Line Leads to Run Game Issues
Jacobs has 11 catches for 68 yards. He has been efficient with the ball in his hands. However, he has not been able to spark the run game. His career success rate on the ground is 51%, and last year it was 49%. This year it is 44%.
The Packers have a better running back, and it is not making a big difference. They have a solid passing attack, but that is not helping the rushing game. It is clear that the issue is the offensive line. They have been unable to settle on a line combination.
Even with Jacobs back, they have seen two different left and right guards, then three different centers. This is making it tough for any running back, including Jacobs.
Matt LaFleur Makes Brutal Admission on Packers Major Flaw