The Green Bay Packers have been getting away from the running game in recent weeks and the lack of balance on offense is an issue. The team has also gotten away from giving the ball to Aaron Jones since the team’s star running back has returned from injury.

Last week against the Colts, Green Bay ran the ball only 18 times as a team for the entire game. They held a 28-14 lead at halftime but only ran the ball four times in the second half for a total of 10 yards.

The offense stalled after a strong start and ran only six plays in the third quarter and suffered two straight three-and-outs. They didn’t score any points until the final drive of regulation time when they kicked a field goal to force overtime.

For the game, Jones ran only 10 times for 41 yards. If you take out his 15-yard run, he ran nine times for 26 yards, an average of less than three-yards per carry. Jamaal Williams ran only five times for 12 yards and the Packers had only 18 rushing attempts as a team with three of them being scrambles by Aaron Rodgers.

Against Jacksonville, Jones ran only 13 times for 46 yards while Williams added eight carries for 40 yards. The Packers did not run the ball effectively despite facing the Jaguars poorly-ranked rush defense which was near the bottom of the league statistically before the game.

Jones was more active against San Francisco with 15 carries for 58 yards. Backup Tyler Ervin added 24 yards in eight carries. The Packers scored 34 points and coasted to victory after leading 34-3 with 6:15 left in the game.

But the Packers have been getting away from running the football over the last two games. That was one reason the offense was inconsistent against Jacksonville and stalled out in the second half against the Colts.

The Green Bay running game was off to a strong start this season with Jones’ 168-yard effort against Detroit being the highlight. After four games, the Packers rushing offense was ranked fourth in the NFL. Now they have dropped to a very average 14^th.

Head coach Matt LaFleur admitted earlier this week that the Packers do need to run the ball better. “It just makes you a much more complete football team,” LaFleur told reporters. “Obviously we know we have to run the ball better, and I've got to be more committed to calling some plays...and making sure that we have good looks to run the football into and then we have to execute better, obviously.”

One issue is that the Packers are giving Jones the ball fewer times. It’s a fine line since the team is always cautious not to overwork their top back, but the stats don’t lie. Jones has played eight game this season thus far. When he has 15-or-more rushing attempts, the Packers are 5-0. When Jones rushes fewer than 15 times in a game, the Packers are 1-2.

The overall team rushing numbers are also similar. In the three games the Packers ran the ball fewer than 25 times, the team is 0-3. When they run the ball 25 or more times, they have a perfect 7-0 record. When the Packers run the ball more than 25 times, they average 35 points per game. When they run the ball fewer than 25 times in a game, they average just 21 points per game.

This is the time of year the Packers need to rely on Jones and their other running backs more. The weather is getting colder and windier and we may have some rain and snow games on the schedule in the coming weeks. The passing game may be limited by weather conditions and the Packers will need their running game to be ready to carry a bigger load.

Last season, Jones came through with a strong finish. He gained 100 or more yards in three of the final four games of 2019 including a big 154-yard, two touchdown performance in the division-clinching victory over the Vikings in Week 16. In two of those four contests, Jones carried the ball more than 20 times including a career-high 25 carries in the season finale in Detroit. The Packers won all four games and Jones finished the campaign with 1,084 yards, his first career 1,000-plus yard season.

This year, Jones missed two games due to injury, but the Packers will need him ready to go for the stretch drive. They need to run the football more consistently, which will help set up the play-action pass game that is such a big part of the Green Bay offense.

Jones needs 466 yards in the final six games to get his second consecutive thousand-yard season. That’s an average of just under 78 yards rushing per game. Jones is certainly capable of that, but only if he gets the ball more down the stretch to make it possible.

By getting the ball to Jones and Williams more on the ground, the Packers can restore the balance to their offense and make it more unpredictable and dangerous. They are also averaging 14 more points-per-game.

LaFleur has noticed the problem and clearly wants to address it. On Wednesday, he told the media, “There’s so much that goes into it. Are we asking our players to go against the best looks? Are we scheming it up to give them the best opportunity? But I think it’s just more or less getting all 11 guys on the same page and making sure that everybody is executing their responsibility. If one guy is a little bit off or we’re a little bit off on a combination block or maybe our back’s track is a little bit off, if they don’t press it to the line of scrimmage, then you’re running game’s not going to be as effective.”

The return of Allen Lazard, the Packers best run-blocking receiver, is also something that should help the running game get untracked in the final six games. “I think one thing, too, that we’ve always stressed is making sure that the perimeter blocking is up to par,” LaFleur added. “Obviously, when we lost Allen [Lazard] that physical presence that he brings definitely adds a new dimension to the run game.”

LaFleur is determined to get more balance on offense. “We’re going to stick with it and keep fighting, scratching and clawing figuring out how to get this thing going because we have a lot of faith in our runners, Aaron, Jamaal, Swerve [Tyler Ervin] when he’s back there, A.J. [Dillon] when he’s able to come back,” LaFleur said. “Those backs are really good and so for us to be at our best offensively, we’ve got to get the run game going and those are explosive players and we’ve got to get them the touches.”

Jones, Williams and A.J. Dillon once he returns from the Covid-19 reserve list, will have to get the job done behind a Packers offensive line that has done a good job opening holes for the run most of this year. The rest of the season will depend on it.