MarShawn Lloyd’s margin for error in Green Bay looks awfully thin after another quiet outing and Josh Jacobs’ return to the mix.
Against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6, Lloyd delivered little to change the Packers’ thinking. He finished with eight carries for 10 yards and never really gave the offense the kind of jolt the team was hoping to see.
That would already be a problem. Add in the fact that Jacobs is officially off the Commissioner’s Exempt List and eligible to return this week, and Lloyd’s place in the backfield suddenly feels shaky.
Lloyd opened the season as Green Bay’s RB1, but the Cowboys game told a different story. Pierre Strong Jr., a recent promotion from the practice squad, handled most of the work, while Lloyd’s late touches came more in garbage time than as part of a real offensive plan.
If Jacobs is on the field against the Detroit Lions, the backfield picture gets even tighter. It’s difficult to see much work going to anyone else, and Lloyd may not even be the obvious next option.
So far this season, Lloyd has 48 carries for 122 yards and two touchdowns, both of those scores coming in Week 5 against the Bears. He has probably been more valuable as a receiver, but even there, the big-play element has been mostly missing since he returned healthy.
His longest run has gone for just 12 yards. His best catch covered 16 yards, and he’s averaging 5.5 yards per reception. There were flashes against Chicago, but for the most part, the burst Green Bay expected from the former third-round pick hasn’t been there.
Some of that comes back to the Packers’ offensive line, though the unit is improving. Some of it may also trace to the lower-body injuries that wiped out most of his rookie season and all of last season. Whatever the reason, Lloyd hasn’t even looked like the most explosive back in a room that has been rough around the edges.
That distinction belongs to trade pickup Kaleb Johnson, who sat out the first half in Week 5 and played just four snaps on Sunday. He finished with minus-two yards on the ground, and the Packers have apparently cooled on him since his goal-line fumble in Tampa Bay.
Lloyd likely doesn’t need to worry about Johnson leapfrogging him, even though Lloyd has also put the ball on the ground twice this season. Chris Brooks remains on injured reserve with an ankle injury and must miss at least two more games by rule.
The clearest sign from Sunday was that Strong has already moved ahead of Lloyd. Strong carried 11 times for 28 yards and added five catches for 39 yards, while also outsnapping Lloyd 41 to 30 on offense. His physical style also gives him an edge in pass protection, an area where Lloyd has struggled.
Week 6 may have been Lloyd’s last real shot to make a convincing case.
In Other News...
Packers Suddenly Have A Backfield Question Fans Didn't Expect
Green Bays 23-13 win over Dallas brought plenty of encouraging signs, from Matthew Goldens impact in the passing game to a secondary that helped keep the Cowboys in check. Jordan Loves offense moved efficiently enough despite a few drops, and Matt LaFleurs plan drew positive notice as the Packers continued to show a more balanced feel on that side of the ball.
The one unexpected wrinkle came in the backfield, where MarShawn Lloyd never found much rhythm and Pierre Strong Jr. ended up handling the bulk of the work early. For a team that left Week 6 feeling good about several key pieces, the running game suddenly looks like the place where Green Bay has to sort out who it wants carrying the load going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Offense Still Looks Broken After Another Brutal Loss
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The bigger concern for Dallas was how familiar the script felt, with the offense failing to find rhythm and the defense unable to keep the game within reach. Green Bays interceptions of Prescott were part of the damage, and the Packers never really let the Cowboys settle into anything comfortable on either side of the ball. For a team that came into the day at 2-3, the loss leaves another lingering question about how much better this offense can get before the standings start to harden around it. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Gannon Is Already Changing The Feel Of This Packers Defense
Six weeks into the season, Jonathan Gannon has already given Green Bays defense a noticeably different edge. The former Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator has helped steady a unit that looks much more disruptive and organized than it did a year ago, with several players stepping up around him and making the group more competitive on a weekly basis.
The results have shown up even with key names missing from the lineup, which makes the early turnaround stand out even more. Green Bay has found a way to stay productive and force mistakes while waiting for pieces to get healthy, and the question now is how much higher this defense can climb once the full group is available again. [Read more 🡒]