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Aaron Jones, the Green Bay Packers' star running back, is expected to be active for Week 9's "Thursday Night Football" game against the San Francisco 49ers. Jones has been questionable with a calf injury all week, and practiced only in a limited capacity.
After leading the NFL in total touchdowns in 2020, Jones has been a workhorse running back for the Green Bay Packers this season.
The University of Texas-El Paso product has rushed for 389 yards and five touchdowns in just five starts so far this year for the NFC North-leading Packers. With his early production, Jones has even been tapped as a potential league Most Valuable Player candidate.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams, one of quarterback Aaron Rodgers' favorite targets, asked earlier this year "why not" regarding Jones for MVP.
“Well, I know that Christian [McCaffery] is a very talented player and he has been mentioned in the MVP race,” Rodgers said in June, “so maybe it’s time to start talking about Aaron Jones.”
Even with Aaron Jones active, expect backup running back Tyler Ervin to receive significant snaps. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported early Thursday that, "even if [Jones] suits up, it's going to be nowhere near a normal role for him."
NFL Week 9: If Aaron Jones doesn't play for the Green Bay Packers...
With normal backups A.J. Dillon and Jamaal Williams on the COVID-19 list, Ervin has moved up the Green Bay Packers' depth chart at running back. Ervin, a forth-round pick out of San Jose State, has been mainly a special teams player for the last four years, playing for the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and now the Packers.
In 2020, so far Ervin has just four rushes for 43 yards, six receptions for 33 yards, and has returned four punts.
The Green Bay Packers are slated to play the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday in a rematch of last season's NFC Championship Game. In that playoff game, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers consistently and easily ran the ball on Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur and the Packers defense. This week, however, San Francisco also has an injured running back depth chart with Tevin Coleman and Raheem Mostert both injured for reasons not related to COVID-19. Former Baylor product, rookie JaMycal Hasty, will start in the backfield for the 4QQQW9ers, and veteran Jerick McKinnon will back him up.
