Relax! Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy keep Packers balanced in playoff push
TAMPA, Fla. – Aaron Rodgers limped through the winning locker room here on Sunday, gingerly putting on his sneakers before addressing the media. He had his usual calm vibe, even though a tweaked left calf sent a ripple of worry throughout the NFL that afternoon. Rodgers is one of the best at the delicate balance of staying in the pocket and salvaging a broken play, and he wasn't able to do that as well against the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Some of his mobility was lost, and some of his throws were low.
The Green Bay Packers hardly faltered though. They have hardly faltered since Rodgers' declaration that Packers fans should chill out after a Week 3 loss in Detroit. Green Bay has won 10 of 12, with Rodgers rising to the top of the MVP race. But there's a twist to the team's surge: Although so much attention has been on Rodgers, both for his play and his occasional pain, the real difference between the October Packers and these Packers has been elsewhere.
Not far from Rodgers, running back Eddie Lacy had taken off his pads and his Incredible Hulk undershirt and sat quietly by his locker. Lacy has undergone his own Bruce Banner transformation this season: he scored no touchdowns in Green Bay’s first three games. His yards-per-attempt was 2.83, 3.31 and 3.27 in those games, the third of which came in a loss to the Detroit Lions. Since then, he's had 13 total touchdowns – more than one per game – and his yards-per-attempt has only been lower than 3.27 in two games. Also of note: His yards-per-attempt is nearly a full yard better at home (5.22), where the Packers are unbeaten, than on the road (4.34). Lacy is only the fifth Packers rusher to have 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. He's becoming a star in Green Bay.
Granted, Rodgers' extraordinary vision clears space for Lacy. But the improvement of the run game is the stealth story of the Packers' season.
"We've had some great balance," Rodgers said Sunday. "We've really been working on that the last six or eight weeks. Making sure we get Eddie a number of touches in the game."
The Packers were stifled by the Lions' defense in September. There was not only a lack of momentum, but a lack of creative play-calling by the almost-always creative Mike McCarthy. Green Bay pushed the run and kept pushing it even when it didn't work.
"We didn't run the ball very well," guard T.J. Lang said. "They made us one-dimensional."
Part of that was the Lions' run defense, which has been stout all season. Part of that, however, was the Packers' fault.
"Couple missed blocks," Lang said. "Couple missed holes, couple missed reads."
Rodgers famously told fans to "R-E-L-A-X" after that loss, but the true calm was felt internally. Lang and the offensive line came together.
"The greatest jump we've seen from early in the season: the offensive line play," Rodgers said. "They've been so consistent. They've been healthy. It's the same group since Week 3, and because of that there's a great continuity, and their blocking their butts off."
There have been other beneficiaries besides Lacy: namely, Randall Cobb. The fourth-year receiver has had five 100-yard games since the Lions loss, after having none in the first three weeks of the season. Between Lacy and Cobb, it's as if Green Bay has added two key players since Week 3. It's fair to say the Lions are facing a different offensive team this time around.
The big question in this battle for the division – other than whether Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford can play decently in cold weather – is: Can Lacy get going against Ndamukong Suh and his defensive linemates. If he can, it would be a continuation of the balance Rodgers has spoken of. If Lacy is hemmed in, Rodgers' ailing calf might be more of a storyline than everyone expects.
Rodgers said Sunday he couldn't guarantee he'd be able to play against Detroit, but he also said it would take a lot to keep him out. Translation: he's playing.
Everyone will be watching his every move, as always. But that doesn't change what's shifted about the Packers' offense and what the Lions will have to reckon with: Lacy and the run game setting up the pass.
As long as the "Hulk" is more like his late-season self than his early-season self, Rodgers will likely play the role of superhero once again.
