Through Week Eleven, the Green Bay Packers have the 22nd-most passing attempts per game while ranking 11th in rushing attempts. That needs to change going forward if the Packers want to find real balance in their offense.
Normally, when a team needs more balance, it means establishing a more consistent running attack. But this Packers team isn’t built that way. Josh Jacobs — a true game-time decision against the Vikings later today — hasn’t been able to get going like he did last year. That’s not an indictment of Jacobs. If anything, it’s a problem with the offensive line.
The Green Bay O-line simply isn’t capable of run blocking right now. According to FantasyPros, Jacobs is averaging just 1.6 yards before contact, which is abysmal. And that’s not a running back stat — that’s an offensive line stat. This line is built for the passing game, not powering a ground attack.
So if the passing game is where Green Bay needs to focus its energy, the real question becomes:
Who should this offense actually run through?
Packers New/Old Rushing Attack
Between Week 5 of 2010 and early 2013, the Packers didn’t have a single 100-yard rusher in a regular-season game. Yet those offenses were some of the most prolific in franchise history. It’s not that they didn’t have a run game — they had enough to keep defenses honest — but the real rushing substitute came through the quick passing attack.
Those Packers teams mastered getting the ball out fast to athletic receivers and tight ends — essentially using quick passes as extended handoffs. They revolutionized the quick passing game, turning it into a weapon just as important as a traditional run play.
Those short, quick passes forced defenses to play up, kept safeties honest, and prevented pass rushers from pinning their ears back.
Today’s Packers need that same approach. And they have the players to do it.
In fact, they were already leaning into this style with Tucker Kraft before his injury. Now Matt LaFleur needs to let the other weapons feast in similar ways.
Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, and Jayden Reed (Soon Enough)
These three are the key to unlocking the Packers offense now that Kraft is out and the line can’t run block.
A lot of fans want the Packers to focus only on Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs — but that would be a mistake. It would make this offense way too predictable. And while it might sound like I’m arguing for a one-dimensional approach, I’m really not. The Packers need to use the quick passing game as a substitute for the run, not a replacement for diversity.
Golden and Williams both have kick/punt return backgrounds and elite athletic upside. Just get them the ball and let them work. Savion Williams’ comp coming out of college was Cordarrelle Patterson — so let him show some of that versatility.
Matthew Golden has the speed and vision to turn quick passes into explosive gains, especially with good blocking from receivers like Watson, who has shown he can block well.
And when Jayden Reed returns, he’s already proven to be one of the most reliable quick-game weapons on this team.
What About Packers Play Action?
You don’t need to completely abandon the run. You just need to shift some of those calls into quick passing plays — especially on second down. And with that shift comes a new wrinkle: a pump-fake play action in the quick passing game.
The Packers can still run standard play action, but they can also build play fakes off the extended handoff concept. It keeps defenses guessing without forcing the ball into unblocked defenders on a doomed run play.
If the Packers want to go on a run here, something needs to change. And that starts today against the Vikings.
Vikings at Packers Prediction
Green Bay should find a way to beat the Vikings. Minnesota is dealing with injuries, inconsistencies, and a young quarterback who hasn’t proven he can be a viable long-term starter yet.
Packers win 27–17.
(I’m sticking with 27 for the Packers until further notice.)
ChatGPT’s Prediction:
Packers 28 — Vikings 17
Reasoning in a nutshell:
Despite missing receivers and dealing with a battered offensive line, the Packers still have the better defense and home-field advantage. Expect the front seven to control the game, force Minnesota into mistakes, and steady the pace. The Vikings will fight, but Green Bay pulls away in the second half.
But regardless and always,
Go Pack Go!
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Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
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