Back from COVID, Dillon Delivers Emphatic Performance

The second-round pick provided a taste of the future by running for more yards vs. the Titans than he had all season.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Aaron Rodgers vs. Derrick Henry was the MVP matchup.

Aaron Jones vs. Derrick Henry was the running back matchup.

AJ Dillon vs. Derrick Henry? That wasn’t on anyone’s radar entering Sunday night’s game between the Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans at snowy Lambeau Field. Instead, in a game featuring two of the three best offenses in the NFL, it was Dillon – who had done practically nothing as a rookie due to his spot on the depth chart and a miserable battle with COVID-19 – who stole the show.

Entering Week 16, the second-round pick from Boston College had carried 24 times for 115 yards in his nine games. He never had more than five carries or played more than 14 snaps in a game. But with Jamaal Williams out with a quad injury, Dillon got his chance.

And did he run with it. Dillon carried 21 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns. In what turned into a heavyweight showdown, the 247-pound Dillon outrushed the 247-pound Henry (23 carries, 98 yards, zero touchdowns), who leads the NFL in rushing.

“Being the rushing king two years in a row, obviously, big respect to him. Just to kind of be in the same talking point, it’s a huge honor,” Dillon said.

With Jones and Williams atop the depth chart, Dillon’s quiet rookie season wasn’t unexpected. Then came COVID, which through his season for a major loss.

“I know there were some scary moments, definitely, for him in terms of just battling through that,” coach Matt LaFleur said.

He missed five games, didn’t play any snaps on offense in his return against Detroit and carried once in his five snaps last week against Carolina.

“I’ll be the poster boy for COVID is the real deal,” Dillon said. “It affects everybody differently, for sure. One person may have no symptoms. Somebody may have very serious symptoms. Not to go too much into myself but it was a hard process. One, just being away from the game. That Vikings game, up till that point, was my best game. So, I was kind of feeling like I was getting my groove. That was a major setback for me personally.”

Dillon’s breakout performance didn’t start out as anything special. His first two carries gained 1 yard apiece. A third-and-long screen didn’t go anywhere, either. However, he was off and running with gains of 6 and 9 yards to close the first quarter that helped the Packers score a touchdown to lead 12-0.

On the next possession, with Jones exiting briefly with an undisclosed injury, Dillon had a 14-yard run and a third-and-3 conversion to set up another touchdown.

Late in the third quarter, LaFleur went with Dillon instead of Jones on fourth-and-1 from the Titans’ 30. Dillon burst through a hole behind right tackle Billy Turner and tight end Marcedes Lewis and ran through tackle attempts by cornerback Adoree Jackson and safety Kenny Vaccaro for a touchdown that made it 33-14.

“I think back at (Boston College), my running backs coach, Brian White, always told me, ‘Just keep with it and eventually one’s going to pop,’” Dillon said.

On the final scoring drive, he got the ball seven times for 32 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown.

Because they don’t have to rely on cutting ability and quick changes of direction to get yards, big backs can be big-time weapons in cold-weather or bad-field games. It’s why the Packers have relied on the likes of Ahman Green, Ryan Grant and Eddie Lacy over the years. Jones and Williams are established players and will obviously have roles in January. But Dillon showed he can be a key piece on a championship team that hopes to be playing home games deep into January. Not to mention next year, with Jones and Williams headed to free agency.

“I thought he had some momentum runs for him,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “As a young player, there’s plays throughout the game that almost surprise you. You surprise yourself and you get that confidence bump right away. I think he had a few of those plays where it felt like he might have been tackled quickly and breaks out of it and turns a 3-yard gain into an 8-yard gain. The touchdown on the fourth down was a really big play. I’m really happy for him. He’s a good kid. He’s been through a lot this year, obviously, with COVID and the issues with that but it’s good having him back.”