The Packers walked out of Thursday night with a win, but the ground game left a bruise.
Green Bay beat Carolina 27-19, and Jordan Love kept moving in the right direction with a strong passing night: 30 completions on 41 attempts for 288 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The problem is that the offense had to lean heavily on him because the run game never got going.
The Packers finished with just 66 rushing yards on 26 carries, a rough 2.5 yards per attempt, and Josh Jacobs was held to 39 yards on 21 rushes. Jacobs did manage to score once on the ground and once through the air, but the bigger picture didn’t change.
This is still an offense searching for answers on the ground.
That’s not a one-night issue, either. Green Bay entered Week 8 with the NFL’s lowest-ranked rushing offense, averaging only 59.9 yards per game through seven games.
The line hasn’t helped, and injuries have made the situation even tougher. Center Sean Rhyan is expected to miss several weeks because of a high ankle sprain, while Jacob Monk is also out.
Asking Love to keep carrying a one-dimensional attack isn’t a long-term plan.
So if the Packers are serious about fixing this before the November 10 trade deadline, two names stand out.
The first is Tony Pollard. According to report, the Tennessee running back could be available, and Green Bay should at least be making the call.
Pollard has shown enough burst to matter. Through seven games, he has 478 rushing yards on 112 carries, a 4.3-yard average, and four touchdowns.
He also put up a huge Week 7 showing against Cleveland, piling up 129 yards and three scores. That kind of juice would give Matt LaFleur something different to work with.
The idea here isn’t to push Jacobs aside. It’s to widen the backfield and give Green Bay a real change-of-pace option.
Pollard can hit the edges, catch the ball, and turn a small opening into a bigger play. A trade package of a 2027 fourth-round pick and a conditional 2028 sixth-rounder would be a reasonable place to start, with the second pick improving if he hits agreed-upon production marks.
There is a catch, though. Tennessee is still trying to build around quarterback Cam Ward, and ESPN’s trade analysis has suggested the Titans may not be eager to strip away help from their young passer. If the Packers want Pollard, they may have to come strong.
The other target is Philadelphia guard Landon Dickerson, who has also come up as a possible trade candidate. He would address a different part of the problem: the line itself.
At 6-foot-6 and 332 pounds, Dickerson has the kind of frame that can change the feel of a run game. He can also help firm up the interior protection in front of Love.
Over his first five seasons, he has posted a 93.9% pass-block win rate.
A 2027 fifth-round pick and a conditional 2028 sixth-rounder would make sense as an opening offer. Philadelphia has reportedly considered moving toward a younger offensive line, and Dickerson’s long-term status has raised questions. Pundits have identified Green Bay as a possible fit, even if nothing is close to guaranteed.
There are limits here, too. Dickerson plays guard, not center, so he wouldn’t directly solve the Rhyan injury.
He has also recently returned from an early-season injury, which means a medical check would matter. Still, strengthening the guard spots could help stabilize the entire interior picture.
Green Bay doesn’t need to hit the panic button. But the numbers say the problem is real, and it’s been real for long enough.
Pollard would bring burst. Dickerson would bring muscle.
Neither move alone turns the Packers into a dominant rushing team, but both would attack the issues dragging the offense down. If Green Bay wants to keep pace in the NFC North and make a serious playoff push, these are the kinds of deadline swings worth taking.
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Jordan Love Is Carrying A Packers Problem That Could Get Bigger
Jordan Love kept the Packers moving in a 27-19 win over the Panthers, throwing for 288 yards and three touchdowns while also dealing with the kind of game that has become familiar in Green Bay. The passing game has been doing a lot of the heavy lifting, and Loves command of it has helped the Packers keep winning even when the offense is not finding much balance on the ground.
The larger concern is what that imbalance means going forward, especially with Josh Jacobs back in the mix but not yet able to change the shape of the attack. Green Bay is winning in a way almost no team has in modern football, but the run game still looks stuck, and if it stays that way, Love may keep carrying a burden that only gets heavier as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]
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The latest round of debate picked up again after Terrence Parsons Jr. publicly took aim at Dallas, arguing the Cowboys came up short in the return they got for his brother. His comments, paired with a separate trade involving Jeffery Simmons, have only kept the conversation alive around whether Dallas maximized the deal or left more value on the table for Green Bay to chase down once Parsons is healthy. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Jacobs Sparked An Ugly Packers Debate Fans Didn't Expect
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But the reaction went beyond the scoreboard because of Jacobs past and the context that still follows him around. He was arrested in May on domestic disturbance, battery and property-damage allegations before later pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges, and he missed the first six weeks of the season because of NFL sanctions. So even a routine scoring play turned into a fresh debate, with the celebration drawing as much discussion as the touchdown itself. [Read more 🡒]