Packers running back Eddie Lacy finally broke free on Sunday, but was it enough to regain his starting job?
Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy wasn't ready to unveil the pecking order on Monday, one day after Lacy rushed for 100 yards off 22 carries in a 30-13 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
"We need both Eddie and James (Starks)," Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said of his two backs, per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky. "It was great to see Eddie have success."
McCarthy wasn't done praising Lacy, saying: "I thought Eddie played well. He was given more opportunities. He was decisive and ran behind his pads."
Lacy's 22 attempts were spelled by just eight for Starks, a split that makes plenty of sense down the stretch. John Kuhn should see plenty of work, too, with NFL Media's Brian Baldinger noting that the fullback was used as a lead blocker on 20 of Sunday's 34 runs. Kuhn was repeatedly seen crossing the formation, taking on linebackers and opening lanes for Lacy.
"I thought Mike McCarthy and the whole staff did some things from a formation standpoint to get Eddie Lacy going, and I thought they got the balance in a game that they've been looking for: 34 runs, 34 passes, it's not all Aaron Rodgers," Baldinger told viewers on NFL Network's latest edition of The Aftermath, saying of Lacy: "I saw his footwork yesterday. That guy can stop and he can start. He looked a lot the kid that played at Alabama three years ago and like we saw the last couple seasons. He looked like he was healthy and in good form right now."
It took longer than Green Bay expected, but Lacy on Sunday was the engine behind an offense that looked like the Packers attack of old. If this is what we can expect from the third-year thumper down the stretch, the ceiling's the limit in Green Bay.
