The Packers left Sunday with a 17-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a 2-2 record, but the backfield problem still hung over everything. Green Bay got a little more life on the ground than it had in the first three games, yet the overall picture at running back remains messy enough that a move feels overdue.
That’s where Pierre Strong Jr. comes in.
With Josh Jacobs still away from the team and no clear answer on when - or if - he’ll return, the Packers are running out of practical options. The free-agent market doesn’t offer much.
A trade doesn’t appear close. And it’s hard to imagine Green Bay spending draft capital on a running back this early in the season.
That leaves the practice squad, where Strong is waiting.
Strong, who has spent time with the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns, has not had a full NFL workload, but he did show enough in the preseason to merit a look. At this point, the Packers don’t have much to lose by seeing what he can do in a real game. If he gives them nothing, at least they’ll know where they stand.
Sunday’s committee approach produced mixed results. Kaleb Johnson got eight carries and MarShawn Lloyd had seven, while Chris Brooks added four before leaving with an ankle injury.
Green Bay did find some chunk plays, including a 31-yard run by Johnson and a 27-yarder from Brooks, and the team finished with 86 rushing yards. But the problems were still easy to spot.
Lloyd’s role remains hard to trust. He popped a defender with a hurdle late in the game, but that one highlight didn’t change the larger story. He finished with 13 yards on seven carries, and too often he looks like a runner searching for answers instead of finding creases.
Johnson has a different issue. He showed enough burst to matter, finishing with 42 yards on eight carries, though 31 of those came on one run.
The bigger concern is the ball. His fourth-quarter fumble at the 2-yard line wiped out what would have been a two-score lead and opened the door for Tampa Bay.
It was his second fumble already this season.
After the game, Matt LaFleur was asked about the Packers’ fumbling problems and said "a great teacher is the bench".
Brooks, meanwhile, seems locked into his role as the pass-blocking option in the group.
The Packers are going to keep running the ball. That much is clear.
The question is who, exactly, is going to make it work. Right now, the answer may have to come from the practice squad.
In Other News...
Packers Defense Just Raised A Bigger Concern Before Bears Week
The Packers left Tampa with a 17-14 win and a little more confidence in the ground game, even after the offense spent much of the afternoon working through injuries to Chris Brooks and Brandon Cisse. Green Bays defense did enough to tilt the game, too, with multiple sacks, interceptions and a late sequence in which Evan Williams helped force a turnover on downs to seal the result.
What makes the victory feel more revealing, though, is the way the defense kept winning the biggest snaps while the broader picture around the unit stayed unsettled. Under coordinator Jonathan Gannon, the Packers are 2-2 after the latest grind-it-out effort, but the performance also sharpened the discussion heading into Bears week about whether the defense is simply making timely plays or masking a concern that could matter more against a sharper opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Packers May Have Found A Needed Short-Term Answer Up Front
Green Bays reshuffling along the offensive line produced a useful look at Travis Glover against the Buccaneers, and the Packers had every reason to see what he could do. With injuries and inconsistency creating openings at right guard, Glover got the start and handled a heavy workload, staying on the field for 60 snaps while giving up just one pressure and drawing one holding penalty.
It was not a flawless debut, but it was sturdy enough to suggest the Packers may have found a workable short-term fix while the room sorts itself out. Pro Football Focus graded Glover at 59.4 overall, which fits the profile of a player who steadied a spot that had been in flux. Kevin Zeitler is expected back once fully ready, but until then Green Bay at least has a name it can trust to keep the line moving. [Read more 🡒]
Matt LaFleur Nearly Turned A Needed Packers Win Into A Collapse
The Packers got the result they needed on Sunday, edging the Buccaneers 17-14, but the final stretch had plenty of reason to leave Green Bay uneasy. Matt LaFleurs team had done enough earlier to put itself in position to close the game out, and Tampa Bays offense was mostly stuck in neutral, with the run game serving as its only consistent source of movement.
Still, the late-game sequence turned a routine finish into a tense one. LaFleurs decision to pass in a critical fourth-quarter drive ended with an interception and suddenly gave the Buccaneers a path back into a game that seemed within Green Bays grasp. The Packers escaped with the win, but the way it nearly unraveled is the kind of coaching choice that will linger a lot longer than the final score. [Read more 🡒]