Eddie Lacy must come through vs. Minnesota
By Evan Massey
The Green Bay Packers are going to be facing a very difficult rivalry game against the Minnesota Vikings this evening, but they are getting a break with Christian Ponder being the starting quarterback. That being said, the Packers’ offense has had some issues of their own recently, and will need a big boost from Eddie Lacy tonight. He has yet to play consistently this year, and hasn’t looked like a shell of the rookie running back that tore through defenses last season.
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Lacy has carried the football 53 times for 161 yards and one touchdown so far this season, and that 3.0 yards per carry simply isn’t cutting it. The Packers’ offense has suffered through the first four weeks of the season without a legitimate ground attack, and Aaron Rodgers could really use some help tonight against the Vikings’ defense. Adding a consistent Lacy to the offense would boost them up quite a bit.
It has been unclear exactly what Lacy’s issue has been, but he needs to figure it out now. Some players do go through second-year problems, but the Packers can’t afford to have Lacy struggle like he has been throughout the remainder of the season. He hasn’t rushed for over 50 yards in a single game all season long.
Minnesota currently has the 16th ranked run defense in the NFL, and have given up an average of 113.3 yards per game on the ground this season. Those numbers bode very well for the Packers and Lacy, but he still has to come through with a solid performance. Green Bay will not be going away from Lacy despite his struggles, and you can expect to see head coach Mike McCarthy give Lacy plenty of carries this evening.
If the Packers are going to come away with a big win tonight, they are going to need their running back to come through with a solid game. They don’t necessarily need him to put up 100 yards, but a good 75-yard performance would be ideal. Expect to see Lacy put up better numbers than he has all season long, and for the Packers’ offense to finally click on all cylinders.
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