Scouting Report: Packers Running Back Aaron Jones

Scouting report on the Packers' No. 1 running back

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The Lions have a new player to worry about when they line up with the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football: Running back Aaron Jones. 

The third-year pro has emerged onto the scene as the Packers' No. 1 back. 

He's already accumulated 302 rushing yards this season, nearly half of the rushing yards he had all of last season (728), and he's only played in five games. 

Jones, a UTEP product, has also already amassed eight rushing touchdowns, the same amount of TDs he had on the ground a season ago. He tacked on an additional TD last season as a receiver.

To make matters worse for the Lions, he's coming off a game in which he rushed for 107 yards and four scores -- a single-game career-high for TDs. He also finished with a career-high 75 reception yards, all of which came in a 34-24 victory against the Dallas Cowboys. 

The win helped the Packers improve to an NFC North-best 4-1 on the season.

And going into Monday night, Jones should be helped out by the fact that the Lions haven't fared well against the run. In fact, they've allowed 124.8 yards per game on the ground through four contests, including five rushing scores. 

The five rushing TDs account for 50 percent of the TDs the Lions have allowed this season (10 total). 

That percentage of rushing TDs allowed is lower than only the Baltimore Ravens (53.85 percent) and Dallas Cowboys (66.67 percent).

And three of those five rushing TDs permitted by the Lions' defense came before the bye week, in Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Chiefs second-year back Darrel Williams accounted for two of them, while veteran back LeSean "Shady" McCoy was responsible for one.

Then, there's this: Jones' four-TD performance against the Cowboys a week ago earned him an 88.6 grade from Pro Football Focus, making him the highest-graded Packers offensive player for the week.

We've gone this far without mentioning two-time NFL MVP and Packers franchise passer Aaron Rodgers. 

Rodgers hasn't had a magnificent start to the 2019 campaign, with six TDs and a lone interception to his name. However, his very presence under center is still something for Lions defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni to worry about and game plan for.

The Lions can't afford to take their eyes off of the one-time Super Bowl champ and MVP, and don't expect Pasqualoni & Co. to do so. 

What does this all mean?

Well, the Lions will likely shift most of their attention to stopping Rodgers and the Packers' passing attack, which should open up holes aplenty for Jones and the Green Bay ground attack to run through. 

Jones, subsequently, could be in store for a big game.

And if he does have his way with the Lions' rush D, expect him to be the difference-maker in a Packers win on Monday Night Football.

More: PFF Has Two Lions Linemen in the Top 3 at Their Positions