Aaron Jones Carries Packers Into Playoff Game at Cowboys

With a superb final three games of the regular season, Aaron Jones re-established himself as a star and carried the Packers into the playoffs.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – When he was injured against the Los Angeles Chargers, a towel draped over his head as he was carted to the locker room, Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones didn’t think any of this was possible.

- Lead the NFL in rushing over the final three games?

- Re-establish himself as a go-to player?

- Return to Texas to face the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs?

He couldn’t do any of those things with a torn ACL.

But Jones didn’t suffer a torn ACL. Instead, Jones suffered only a sprained MCL. After missing three games and being eased back into the line of duty in a loss to Tampa Bay:

- Jones over the final three games rushed for a league-high 358 yards. Dating to at least 1970, his three consecutive games of 100-plus rushing yards was the team’s second-longest streak, trailing only Ahman Green’s four consecutive games in 2003.

- Became the driving force of an improved Green Bay offense, rallying the team to the playoffs while showing once again that he’s a premier player.

- Will be a focal point in the Packers’ playoff game on Sunday against the Cowboys.

If Aaron Rodgers owned the Bears, Jones has owned the Cowboys. His three games against Dallas have been incredible.

- As a rookie in 2017, he carried 19 times for 125 yards and one touchdown in a 35-31 in Dallas.

“I think that was kind of my coming-out party,” he said after Wednesday’s practice.

- In 2019, he carried 19 times for 107 yards and four touchdowns and added seven receptions for 75 yards. In one of the greatest individual games in Packers history, he led the way to a 34-24 victory.

- Last year at Lambeau Field, he carried 24 times for 138 yards and one touchdown.

- His three-game totals: 370 rushing yards, a 5.97-yard average and six touchdowns as a runner, and 10 receptions for 102 yards. The Packers won all three games.

“Just going back home,” Jones said when asked why he’s at his best against the Cowboys. “It was my childhood team growing up. And then back home in El Paso there’s a lot of Cowboys fans. I like to walk the streets with some peace of mind, not worrying about having to hear them talk. I feel like that’s the biggest thing.”

The Packers were 6-8 heading into Carolina. It’s almost impossible to believe they would still be standing without his incredible late-season charge.

Through Week 15, Jones played in only eight of a possible 14 games. He rushed for 298 yards with a 3.77 average. The last three games, Jones rushed for 358 yards with a 5.68 average.

“Definitely tough,” Jones said of an injury-plagued season that started with a hamstring injury suffered in the opener against Chicago. “A lot of time spent just trying to get your body back right. Long hours spent into it, weeks on weeks on weeks, and you get to a point where you start to question yourself.

“But when things get tough, that’s when it really shows who you are as a person. Just continue to work through that, fight through that. I showed up every day and was here for my teammates, tried to cheer them on, be whatever they needed me to be and continued to work to get better every day. I feel like I did that, stacked those days and it’s showing.”

While Jordan Love has been spectacular down the stretch, the offense didn’t really take flight until Jones began showing his vintage form.

When next season is winding down, Jones will hit his 30th birthday. His future with the team isn’t front and center in his mind, though.

The Carolina game, when he rushed for 127 yards to kick off his season-ending hot streak, wasn’t so much a reminder to Jones of his greatness as it was to everyone else.

“It wasn’t about showing myself what I can do because I believe in myself and I know what I can do,” he said. “It was just about showing everybody else who hadn’t seen it or hadn’t seen it for a couple of weeks. That was the biggest thing. And then just helping my team, ultimately No. 1 was coming out of there with a W.”

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