Packers need more from their ground game. MarShawn Lloyd's highlight-worthy TD offers some hope

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay’s MarShawn Lloyd made his first career touchdown run one to remember.

The Packers hope it can spark their struggling ground attack.

Lloyd bulled his way past Chicago cornerback Jaylon Johnson and knocked him to the ground while completing a 7-yard score for the first of his two touchdowns during the Packers’ 31-7 victory over the Bears on Sunday.

“I've seen it a million times now," Lloyd said Wednesday. " Everywhere I go, everyone’s showing me - my family, everyone’s texting me and showing me the video. It’s been pretty cool, but now it’s kind of like on to the next. We have a big week this week. You do it once, but the good ones do it multiple times.”

Lloyd still must prove he has that kind of reliability after injuries essentially wiped out his first two NFL seasons. He gets his next chance Sunday night as the Packers host the Dallas Cowboys.

The 2024 third-round pick played a total of one game over his first two seasons. He’s been pressed into a featured role this year because three-time Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs is on the commissioner’s exempt list.

His adjustment hasn’t been particularly smooth.

Green Bay (3-2) has won its last two games, but is averaging an NFL-low 60.4 yards rushing per game and 3.1 yards per carry – ahead of only Las Vegas. Lloyd has a team-high 112 yards rushing while gaining only 2.8 yards per attempt.

The Packers have been looking for any sign of life from their running game. No wonder Lloyd’s physical touchdown run caught their attention.

“We watched that clip of his touchdown run so many times,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “That’s what it’s got to be. He knows what that is. You’ve got to run behind your pads. There’s always going to be an unblocked defender. You’ve either got to make him miss or run somebody over, and he did that.”

Lloyd also has 10 catches for 55 yards, and he scored his first overall touchdown on a 6-yard reception against the New York Jets on Sept. 20. Lloyd says he’s learning something new every week and cited a video he recently saw of Indianapolis Colts star Jonathan Taylor discussing some of his rushing philosophies.

“The best cut is no cut,” said Lloyd, who played college football at South Carolina (2020-22) and Southern California (2023). “That’s what he said. In college, it’s a little different. You can cut here or cut there. In the NFL, the best cut is no cut. If it’s there, just hit.”

The Packers need Lloyd to produce. They don’t have many other options as long as Jacobs remains unavailable. Jacobs went on the commissioner’s exempt list after pleading no contest in August to two misdemeanor charges stemming from a May 23 altercation with his then-girlfriend.

Green Bay acquired Kaleb Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers before the season, but he at least temporarily fell out of favor after fumbling on first-and-goal from the 3-yard line during the Packers’ 17-14 victory at Tampa Bay on Oct. 4. All seven of his carries against the Bears came after the Packers already had built a 31-7 lead.

Chris Brooks, who has 15 carries for 70 yards this season, went on injured reserve Saturday due to an ankle issue.

Lloyd played 27 offensive snaps Sunday while Pierre Strong Jr. played 25 in his first game since the Packers signed him off their practice squad. Lloyd gained 31 yards on 10 carries and caught a 6-yard pass. Strong had seven yards on five carries plus three catches for 11 yards.

The Packers need more juice from their rushing attack. Lloyd showed Sunday he’s probably the best bet to provide it, though he’s missing a souvenir from his biggest career highlight thus far.

“I wasn’t able to keep the ball,” Lloyd said. “I don’t know where it is. Maybe I can get it. I know I got my first touchdown ball. My first rushing touchdown, I would definitely like to get that ball, for sure.”

NOTES: LG Aaron Banks (knee/toe) returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday, but CB Keisean Nixon (groin) didn’t practice. Other Packers who didn’t practice included DT Jonathan Ford (calf), WR/KR Skyy Moore (ankle) and CB Benjamin St-Juste (hamstring). … DT Jordon Riley, who tore his Achilles tendon last December, is practicing again on a limited basis. Riley’s return comes after the Packers lost DT Javon Hargrave to an Achilles injury Sunday.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here