NFL REPORTS-Packers topo star has been ruled out.
For Aaron Jones, the Packers star running back, 2023 hasn’t been the year he’d have hoped for.
As the Green Bay Packers prepare to host the New York Giants on Monday night at MetLife Stadium, hoping to make it four in a row and move above.500 for the first time this season, Aaron Jones continues to hold out hope that he will be cleared to play after sustaining a left knee injury against the Chargers on November 19.
“He’s such a positive guy,” Packers position coach Ben Sirmans said of Jones, “he just knows that moping or whining isn’t going to make things better. He’s got to get ready, be ready, and try to get back as soon as possible.”
Jones, who sprained his MCL when he was pulled down by the Chargers’ defense while running in the middle of the field, has missed all but one of Green Bay’s two games this season, both against the NFC North champion Detroit Lions and AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs. He was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game after limited practices this week.
Jones said he has played at 70% or below in the past. “I feel fine,” he said, “and if I take a hit, I can go. I can go at a decent speed. I can go through pain and stuff like that,” he added.
Sirmans hadn’t noticed a lot of frustration or disappointment from Jones, but he admitted this week that those moments had happened. “Maybe I’ve covered them up,” Sirmans said, “or maybe I’ve done a really good job of covering them up.”
“The most important thing to remember is that bad times don’t last forever, and it’s all about the process, and it’s about those guys in the room,” Jones said. “It’s never about you, it’s about the people you’re around.
Regardless, the 2023 season hasn’t gone as well as he would have hoped, much less expected, after his breakout performance in the season opener at Chicago on September 10 — in 28 snaps and 11 touches — when he totaled 127 scrimmage yards, two touchdowns, and two explosive pass plays (35-yard catch, run, and 51-yard pass) before injuring his left hammy on the way to the goal line.
That injury sidelined him for three of the following four games, and in the three that he did play after that, he averaged just 25 total snaps per game.
Incredibly, the Packers not only won that game but the two that followed, making their three-game winning streak that much more impressive because they’ve done it with their most established offensive weapon.
In the 20-3 victory over the Rams on November 5, he had 99 total yards (73 rush, 26 pass) and scored his first touchdown since Week 1.
However, he was largely non-existent in a loss at Pittsburgh on November 12, and then suffered a knee injury in the second half of a loss to the Chargers after having touched the ball only five times.
I know I haven’t had the year I wanted or been able to be on the field as much as I would have liked, but it’s (important) that I come here and make an impact, lead these guys, and make sure they’re prepared to play, Jones said. With five games remaining in the season, Jones has rushed 66 times for 1,121 yards and two touchdowns, while catching 19 passes for 1,169 yards and one score — after setting his career-high in rushing yards and second-most in yards from scrimmage in 2022.
“I know it can be hard sometimes, and I just need to snap out of it, or whatever it is, and realize what I’m doing, where I am, and pull myself back together,” Jones said. “And then, do my part to help them out when I come back and be that spark and that boost. It’s all about those guys.
There is no doubt that the Packers would not be sitting at 2-5 after seven games if Jones had played all year.
Jones’ explosive play in the opener at Soldier Field tipped the scales in Green Bay’s favor. The Packers’ narrow losses to Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Denver, on the other hand, would likely have been different had Jones been on the field.
“I’m sure it would have been helpful, to say the least,” the offensive coordinator said with a laugh. “The playmaking ability that he has, not just in the running game but in the passing game as well — you just have to find different ways, other players to step up, it just makes you a little bit more creative.\
Jones, for his part, has been the biggest cheerleader for his young teammates in the five games that he has missed so far this season, and if that’s the role he must play until he returns to the form he had at the beginning of the season, that’s fine by me.
“I’m really proud of them, and I hug them every single day and tell them that I’m so proud of them for sticking together,” Jones said. “That’s what we talked about when we weren’t winning as a team, staying together and trusting each other. And now that we’ve made it through that hump, it’s like, ‘I told you so.’
However, once Jones is medically cleared to return to the field – even if he’s not 100 percent – he’ll be able to do what he does best: cheerleading.
“I want to be with my boys,” Jones said when asked why being back in the lineup is so important to him. “It’s my job, and I put a lot of effort into it. I never miss a week. Even when I’m not out there, I’m still preparing like I’m out there, trying to heal and get back out there, so hopefully I can be out there this weekend.”
Injury report: The Packers announced that wide receiver Christian Watson has been ruled out for the game with a hamstring injury after missing all three practices.
Christian has been a key component of our offense, and he’s really finding his rhythm,” LeFleur said following Saturday’s practice, “and he’s made a lot of great plays over the last couple of weeks. But I think the other guys have really stepped up and they have a lot of players we can move around to help make up for that shortcoming.”
The Packers listed Quay Walker, an inside linebacker, as doubtful with a shoulder injury. They also listed three other players as questionable: Cornerbacks Jaire Alexander, shoulder, and Eric Stokes, hamstring, and safeties Darnell Savage, chest. Stokes hasn’t been activated from injured reserve yet, so the Packers would have to make a corresponding move before he can play.
