The Green Bay Packers walked out of Week 2 with a 20-17 win, and one of the quieter but more important developments came in the backfield. Kaleb Johnson, who didn’t get a single carry in the opener against the Minnesota Vikings, got his first real chance and made it count.
Johnson led the Packers in rushing in the rainy game in New Jersey, finishing with 32 yards on eight carries. That number won’t jump off the page, but the way he ran mattered. He brought physicality, kept his legs churning for extra yards, and finished with the first carry of overtime, turning it into an 11-yard gain for a first down.
That was a notable step forward for a Packers run game that was bottled up in Week 1. Against Minnesota, Green Bay managed just 66 yards on 21 carries, with MarShawn Lloyd leading the way at only 37 yards on 13 attempts. With Lloyd not showing much improvement in yards per carry, Johnson got the opening he needed.
Head coach Matt LaFleur liked what he saw and sounded ready to keep feeding him. “We'll continue to work with him.
There's some things we can clean up. But I think he's getting more comfortable with our offense, with the terminology, with out protection schemes.
So, he'll probably earn more opportunities,” said LaFleur.
That matters with Josh Jacobs’ return still up in the air. Johnson’s debut gave Green Bay something it needed: a running back who looked ready to take advantage of his touches.
The Packers’ next chance to build on that comes Thursday, when they make their home debut against the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta’s offense comes with plenty of question marks, but its run defense has been stingy through two weeks, allowing just 63.0 rushing yards per game, the best mark in the NFL.
It also makes the Steelers’ decision to move on from Johnson look a little harder to understand. Pittsburgh sent him to Green Bay for a sixth-round pick, a move that stands out even more with Mike McCarthy replacing Mike Tomlin as head coach and Rico Dowdle added to the roster.
For the Packers, though, the bigger takeaway is simple: they may have found something useful in the backfield.
In Other News...
Packers May Have Found Pass Rush Help At The Perfect Time
Rookie edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton is already making the kind of first impression that can matter for a defense looking for answers. In a recent game against the New York Jets, he finished with six tackles, half a sack and two quarterback hits, and his work in pressuring the quarterback showed up beyond the box score. Through two games, he has also climbed to 15th among edge defenders in pass-rush win rate, a notable early mark for a player taken 120th in the draft.
For a Packers front that can always use another reliable source of heat off the edge, that kind of start stands out even more because it has come from a late pick outplaying several rookies selected before him. Early production is one thing, but the bigger question is whether Dennis-Sutton can keep forcing his way into the pass-rush conversation as the competition gets stiffer and the league gets more of a book on him. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Have A Huge NFC North Opening Before Chicago
The Packers win over the Jets gave them a little breathing room, but the bigger picture in the NFC North still looks unsettled as they head into matchups with the Falcons and Buccaneers. Injuries have thinned out key spots around the division, and that has kept the race from taking shape the way it usually does this time of year. Green Bay has dealt with its own health concerns, but the door is still open for a team that can stay upright and take advantage of the chaos.
Chicago looms next, and that game could end up carrying extra weight if the division keeps wobbling. The Bears, Vikings and Lions are all dealing with issues of their own, which makes every week feel a little more consequential than usual for the Packers. Even before the matchup with Chicago arrives, Green Bay has a chance to keep stacking wins and put itself in position to make the most of an NFC North that has yet to settle into place. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Face A Receiver Problem Bigger Than Week 3
Jayden Reeds injury quickly became the kind of scare that lingers well beyond one Sunday, because the Packers are now waiting on what tests in Green Bay will say after he was taken off the field on a stretcher against the Jets. Matt LaFleur said the receiver is back home for evaluation, and while it is still too early to pin down a recovery timeline, the immediate outlook already points to Reed missing Week 3 against the Falcons.
For a Green Bay offense that has leaned on Reeds presence, the bigger concern is how long this absence could last and what it means for a receiver room trying to keep its footing. The Packers can manage one game without him, but the uncertainty around a neck injury has a way of changing the conversation fast, especially when the next step is no longer about one matchup but about how the team will cover for him if the tests lead to a longer pause. [Read more 🡒]