The Green Bay Packers are heading into Week 5 with a run game that has gone nowhere fast, and that’s why Pierre Strong Jr. is suddenly part of the conversation.
Green Bay has spent the first four weeks searching for a back who can give the offense some life on the ground, and it still hasn’t found one. Now, ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Bears at Lambeau Field, the Packers are turning to Strong after activating him from the practice squad.
That move comes with some context. Chris Brooks is injured, and the team’s top two running backs have not been able to get much of anything going. Through four games, the Packers sit dead last in the NFL in rushing yards with 232.
That number gets even uglier when you zoom out. Green Bay is averaging just 58 rushing yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry, the second-lowest mark in the league. Meanwhile, Bears backs Kyle Monangai and D'Andre Swift each have more than 300 rushing yards on their own, more than the Packers have as a team.
Monangai won’t play in Week 5, but the contrast still tells the story. The Packers’ ground attack has offered almost no support, and that has forced the team to look for a fresh option.
Strong is the latest attempt.
MarShawn Lloyd and Kaleb Johnson have not done much to solve the problem, and that’s been a major issue for Green Bay. The offensive line has been part of the inconsistency, but the rushing attack has been just as big a reason the offense has sputtered.
That matters because Matt LaFleur’s offense has long been built around the run. Since he arrived in Green Bay, LaFleur has leaned on rushing formations to feed the play-action game and keep defenses off balance. This season, though, the Packers haven’t been able to establish that kind of rhythm.
Without a dependable run game, Green Bay has leaned more heavily on Jordan Love and the passing attack. At times that can work, but with the offensive line struggling and defenses showing little fear of the run, Love has been asked to fit throws into tighter and tighter windows. That has not always gone well.
Strong’s activation at least gives the Packers a new name to work with, but whether it turns into a real solution is another matter. It remains to be seen if he can spark a rushing attack that has done next to nothing, and it’s not even clear how much the team plans to lean on him.
For now, Green Bay is still trying to piece together a run game one move at a time, and Strong is the latest piece they’re hoping can help.
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