Packers RB Aaron Jones Avoids Major Knee Injury vs. Chargers

Big-play running back Aaron Jones suffered a knee injury during the first half of Sunday's game against the Chargers.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones was carted off the field with a towel draped over his face after suffering a knee injury during Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Jones feared the worst. Instead, Jones and the Packers “caught a break.”

“Definitely” better than feared, Jones said after a 23-20 victory, “but we haven’t done an MRI or anything. Got to go do that first. But definitely (could have been) a lot worse. The initial pain and all that was worse than I thought it was going to be.”

Jones was helped off the field by two trainers after suffering a knee injury with about 3 minutes left in the first half.

On a first-down run, Jones appeared to get his left knee stuck beneath him as he was being pushed backward by the Chargers’ defense. Jones stayed down for a minute or two before limping off the field between a pair of trainers. In obvious pain, he was patted on the back by several teammates at the sideline as he walked directly into the blue medical tent.

At the 2-minute warning, the cart arrived at the medical tent. Jones got in and, with a towel over his head, waved to the fans.

The Packers initially listed him as questionable with a knee injury. After halftime, he was downgraded to out.

"I don’t think it’s long-term,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “Certainly, I think it really looked bad. I was really concerned just seeing it live. I didn’t see a replay or anything, but seeing it live it did not look good. But he’s in good spirits in there and so, hopefully, it’s just a short-term deal.”

Moments after Jones went down, undrafted rookie running back Emanuel Wilson was tackled by Chargers linebacker Kenneth Murray along the sideline. He, too, was carted off to the locker room with a shoulder injury that seemed to occur as he attempted to stiff-arm Murray. As was the case with Jones, Wilson was ruled out at halftime.

“I thought Emanuel Wilson was doing some good things out there, as well, and I don’t think it looks good for him,” LaFleur said of Thursday’s game against Detroit.

That left the Packers only with AJ Dillon at running back for the second half and, probably, for Thursday’s game at the Detroit Lions.

Love Delivers Signature Drive as Packers Beat Chargers

What are the options?

All three running backs who’ve been on the practice squad, Patrick Taylor, James Robinson and Ellis Merriweather, are options. Merriweather is on the practice squad after replacing the former all-rookie runner Robinson. Taylor spent a few years in Green Bay and played in four games this season. When he was released after the Las Vegas game, he landed on New England’s practice squad.

How can the Packers get ready for the Lions with just one back?

“That’s a great question,” LaFleur said. “We’ll have a solution for it, I promise you. We’ll have a solution. I trust Gutey, and I know his staff is on it. He and his staff are on it. We’ll have a solution for that. But, you know, hey, it’s another great challenge.”

Jones is the heart and soul of the team as one of the few proven veteran performers. Having missed three games with a hamstring injury earlier in the season, entered Sunday ranked second on the team with 231 rushing yards and fourth with 18 receptions.

Jones ranks third in franchise history with 5,515 rushing yards, fourth with 45 rushing touchdowns and seventh with 63 total touchdowns.

Among all running backs in NFL history with at least 700 rushing attempts, Jones ranks sixth with 5.0 yards per rushing attempt. He’s just ahead of Hall of Famers Gale Sayers and Barry Sanders.

The last four seasons, Jones had total-offense numbers of 1,558 yards and an NFL-high 19 touchdowns in 2019, 1,459 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2020, 1,190 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2021 and 1,516 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022.

“It’s tough,” Love said afterward. “Obviously, you never want to see a guy go down. 3-3, obviously, just who he is as a playmaker on our offense and as a leader on our team, it sucks. I hurt for him.”

More than a great player, Jones has been a face-of-the-franchise type of player. He’s a leader in the community and the Packers’ annual nominee for a variety of awards, such as the Walter Payton Man of the Year. A selfless teammate, Jones never once grumbled about his lack of touches, even though that probably was within his right considering his productivity. He never had more than 25 carries in a game; he had more than 20 carries just four times.

“Even outside of being on the field, his presence being out there,” offensive tackle Yosh Nijman said recently. “Aaron Jones, ever since I’ve been here, he’s always been a great, positive influence for the offensive mindset. We’ll run through a wall for 33.”

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