Jones Makes Sudden Impact in Return

Aaron Jones had 36 yards on the opening series to help jump-start the Green Bay Packers' rout of the San Francisco 49ers.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Some heroes wear capes.

Others wear sombreros.

Fun-loving Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones returned to the lineup after missing two games with a calf injury. He didn’t have a big game by anyone’s standards but he made a big impact on the opening series that helped spark a 34-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., on Thursday night.

Jones got the ball on the first four plays of the game. He caught a pass for 5 yards on the first play, ran through a tackle for a gain of 11, broke another tackle for a gain of 5, then picked up 19 yards after the catch for a pickup of 15. Two plays later, the Packers were in the end zone for a 7-0 lead they never relinquished.

“Obviously, we had a jolt tonight having 33 back,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “He’s a dynamic guy. He had a couple plays the first drive that were special. It was fun seeing him out there.”

On Tuesday, coach Matt LaFleur said he’d give Jones “up to game time” to prove he was ready to play. In reality, LaFleur said he a “pretty good idea” that Jones would be available. So, that opening sequence of plays was built around Jones’ presumed return.

“Anytime you’re dealing with something muscular, you never want to totally commit to that because you never know how that’s going to feel,” LaFleur said. “But he woke up this morning, said he felt great, we put him through a little pregame routine, said he felt great, so we went with what we thought was best.”

Jones gained 36 yards on those four touches but just 43 yards on 16 touches the rest of the game. Still, his presence kept the 49ers occupied, which allowed Rodgers to complete 25 of 31 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns.

Jones finished with 20 touches, which is probably more work than the Packers wanted to get him, considering the lack of practice time. However, with AJ Dillon testing positive for COVID-19 and Jamaal Williams deemed a high-risk close contact, Green Bay entered the game with Dexter Williams and Tyler Ervin as the only other backs. When Dexter Williams suffered a knee injury in the second quarter, Green Bay was left with only Jones and Ervin.

“Obviously, we were trying to be very cautious with Aaron,” LaFleur said. “You could see and feel his impact on that game. I think on that first drive he was outstanding and throughout the course of the game, he is a dangerous guy with the ball in his hands and he's able to make people miss. He's got the burst and the slashing ability to spring one at any moment. It was great. I think it was a big boost to our offense just having him available and in the lineup.”