The Green Bay Packers have relied on their ground game to pick up valuable first downs and yardage this season amid Aaron Rodgers’ relatively unspectacular 2022 campaign. As one of the NFL’s premier running back tandems, fan-favorite rushers Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon have both eclipsed the 650-yard mark this year while scoring five touchdowns apiece, a feat only achieved by three other duos in franchise history.
The first time that this threshold was reached by a pair of Packers was in 1960 when Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor put together a stellar season en route to an NFL Championship berth. Taylor would go on to accomplish the same achievement in 1963 with Tom Moore, in a season where Green Bay would go on to win the NFL playoff bowl with an 11-2-1 record.
Only John Brockton and Donny Anderson would be able to reach the same heights in 1971, with a 50-year gap between the next instance when Jones and Dillon put up similar numbers in 2021.
While the 2022 Packers haven’t made much of an impact on the league this season, their dynamically prolific offense has been fun to watch all year, and the future seems to be bright regardless of their quarterback situation moving forward. With a ground game as effective as the one they have put together, Green Bay should be able to dominate opposing defenses who key in on the air attack, especially if they have deficiencies in their linebacking corps.
It will take more than a sustained commitment to the run for the Packers to compete for another title, though, and the team should look to continue stockpiling talent on both sides of the ball to get back above .500 in 2023. If they can do that, and especially if Rodgers returns to quarterback the team next year, their outlook for the new season should be positive.
