GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The last time the Packers lost Aaron Rodgers to a broken collarbone, they survived -- if you can call going 2-4-1 a survival -- in part because they had a workhorse running back who could take some pressure off their trio of fill-in quarterbacks.
There's no Eddie Lacy this time around.
In the seven games that Rodgers missed in 2013 because of his broken left clavicle, Lacy averaged 18.6 carries and 73.7 yards per outing with six total touchdowns. In the two wins and one tie, those numbers were 23.7 carries and 105.3 yards with three total touchdowns.
Four years later, the closest thing the Packers have to Lacy-like production is Aaron Jones. Like Lacy in 2013, Jones is a rookie who has found himself in position to be the No. 1 running back. Since Jones got his first action from scrimmage after Ty Montgomery broke his ribs and Jamaal Williams injured his knee in Week 4 against the Bears, the fifth-round pick from UTEP has averaged 15 carries for 71.7 yards and has scored twice in three games.
Jones -- or anyone who can be productive in the running game -- might be the best thing for quarterback Brett Hundley as he makes his first NFL start on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field.
"The running game is maybe going to be our best asset," Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari said this week. "Not saying that we don't have guys who can make plays on the perimeter. We just don't want to be one-dimensional. Being able to get some yards in early downs in the run game I think it's going to help us a lot."
Last Sunday at the Minnesota Vikings, Packers coach Mike McCarthy alternated series with Montgomery, who was playing his first game since he broke multiple ribs on Sept. 28, and Jones. Neither was able to get into much of a rhythm. Jones carried 13 times for 41 yards with a long run of 9 yards. Montgomery carried 10 times for 28 yards with a long of 7. Each caught one pass for a short gain.
"If we can just get the run game going -- and that will open up some downfield shots on play-action and make easy reads for him," Jones said of Hundley.
Montgomery was a full participant in practice all week but still wore protective padding around his ribs. The Packers could still try to limit Montgomery's reps, but it's unclear if they will once again alternate series or go with one back on a more regular basis.
"At this stage, no one's probably 100 percent," Packers offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett said. "You're always battling, fighting through some sort of injury. And you have to play through it. I think those guys understand that, they understand that's just part of football. You have to manage the pain, manage the injuries, whatever it may be. And if you are medically cleared to go out and play, you make no excuses. Once you step between the white lines, you have a job to do, and that's what's expected.
"I think moving forward, [Montgomery is] another guy that when you go back and look at what he's been able to do from a practice standpoint, he's making progress, he's doing a good job in practice. And that's the starting point. You know, we're big believers in, 'We train the way we play.'"