GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers might soon be able to get back to operating a more conventional offense. But with the way Aaron Rodgers has performed lately without much help from a traditional running back, it might not be necessary.
The Packers managed just fine from an offensive standpoint in Sunday's 33-32 loss at the Atlanta Falcons without their top two running backs (Eddie Lacy and James Starks), their receiver-turned-running-back (Ty Montgomery), their No. 2 receiver (Randall Cobb) and their No. 1 tight end (Jared Cook).
Starks and Cook are on the mend; both were on the practice field last week doing rehab exercises. Starks has been out since Week 5, when he tore the meniscus in his knee. He underwent surgery on Oct. 16, and the target for his return is likely in two weeks at Tennessee. Cook might be closer to a return. He hasn't played since his Week 3 ankle injury but might have an outside chance to play this Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
"He's getting better," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said of Cook on Monday. "We'll see. I don't know about practice this week, but I know coming out of the Saturday evaluation, he's making a lot of progress and it was good to see him out on the practice field going through his rehab. He did a lot more this [past] week. I thought he took a big step toward getting back."
Cook might help open up the middle of the field. Rodgers has thrown 94 passes in the last two games combined. He targeted a tight end, Richard Rodgers, only once for a 7-yard completion against the Bears.
Given how proficient the Packers' pass game has been the last two weeks, Cook returning might not be as pressing.
At some point, the Packers are going to have to get back to a traditional running game and perhaps Starks could help, although the veteran would have to perform better than his pre-injury numbers. He averaged just 1.8 yards on 24 carries in the first four games combined.
The Packers have gone without a traditional running back on the field in 73 snaps the last two weeks. According to ESPN Stats & Information, no other team has played more than 46 snaps without a traditional running back all season. Green Bay's leading rusher against the Falcons was their quarterback; Rodgers rushed six times for 60 yards. The week before against the Bears, it was Montgomery with nine carries for 60 yards.
Fullback Aaron Ripkowski has led the running back snap-count list the last two weeks with 51 combined, while halfbacks Don Jackson and Knile Davis have combined for 28 snaps. The Packers released Davis on Monday after only two weeks with the team.
To say the receivers have handled the heavy lifting would be an understatement. The Packers have gained 2,396 offensive yards from scrimmage this season, and 1,596 have been by the receivers. That’s 66.6 percent of their production from the receivers, the most in the NFL according to ESPN Stats & Information (see accompanying chart).
Rodgers has completed passes to 15 different players this season, the most in the NFL.
By now, most teams have established their identities. McCarthy reiterated on Monday that, "We need to get our run game going," and he doesn't want his quarterback as the leading rusher. But at this point, what else do the Packers have but their quarterback and receivers?
"It's early, it's early," offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett said. "When you just talk about building an identity you certainly look at something that's been our track record throughout the years here in Green Bay and that's protecting the football. We take great pride in that as well as being explosive. And then you look at how we play, our play style, that effort, that energy, covering the football, pushing the pile, doing the little things and most importantly breaking tackles. Those are the basic fundamentals as far as when we look at it."
