Game Changing Play of the Week: Aaron Jones’ First Career Fumble Leads to Packer Meltdown in Foxboro

Another fumble leads to another frustrating Packers road loss.

Another week, another fumble that dooms the Packers while playing on the road against a great team but still having a legitimate shot to win in the fourth quarter.

While Aaron Jones’ fumble against New England was not the game-ender that Ty Montgomery’s was in Los Angeles, something happened to the team after this that it was never able to come back from. Presented with this moment of adversity, the Packers did not rise to the challenge. Instead, like they have done so many times this year in the face of adversity, they collapsed and lost the game.

The Context

It was awful timing for the first fumble of Jones’s career, as it looked like the Packers were on the way to score and take the lead in the fourth quarter. What a different game this would have been had the fumble never happened.

Jones immediately took responsibility for the play afterward on Twitter. 

 

The Play

It’s a pretty smart play design here from the Packers, who had gone pass-heavy in the second half, despite Jones once again having a high YPC (don’t get me started, we’ll be here all day).

The Packers go Trips Left, and have all three receivers clear out, taking defenders away from the area and giving Jones a pretty easy shot at a nice gain as he comes in right behind them.

Here’s a good shot of just how much space Jones has to work with after he takes the handoff. The receivers did a great job of clearing out the left side of the field, and the line does its job in giving Jones the time he needs to get around Rodgers and get to the other side of the field.

I’ll be interested to see the All 22 of this, because it looks like Jones has a shot to keep going to the outside, but perhaps from his perspective 31 was going to seal off the outside, so he needed to cut it bac in? After watching this play a bunch of times that’s my best guess—he ends up cutting it back in toward the defense, but he still has an easy five yards to work with, a very nice gain for a first down run.

Of course, it all comes crashing down. En route to what would have been a six or seven yard gain, Jones loses the football on this hit.

The ball bounces right to a New England defender, so the Packers never even really have an opportunity to fight for the ball back.

Here’s a better angle of the way the ball came out. Jones simply wasn’t holding it tight enough, and the defender to come in toward the end of the play perfectly positions the punch to get the ball out and on the ground.

 

 

It’s a pretty simple play, one that could have been prevented with a bit more ball security. But there’s absolutely no reason for it to have had the effect it did on the Packers. EVERYTHING changed after this play. It felt like there was no wind left in the Packers’ sails.

It’s so disheartening to see time and time again that this team simply does not seem to have the mental makeup necessary to fight back when things don’t go their way. Take away the Chicago game in week 1, and this is looking like the most mentally fragile team we’ve seen come out of Green Bay in quite some time.

There’s still half a season left to turn things around, but at this point I’m losing hope that this team is capable of doing so.

 

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Tim Backes is a lifelong Packer fan and a contributor to CheeseheadTV. Follow him on Twitter @timbackes for his Packer takes, random musings and Untappd beer check-ins.

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Comments (23)

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TKWorldWide's picture

November 05, 2018 at 07:58 pm

Game changer.
The bad kind.
Would love to see the GBD with a few more takeaways.

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31 Wedge's picture

November 05, 2018 at 08:09 pm

Agreed. It was certainly THE momentum shift of the night that couldn't be changed from that point on.

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Bearmeat's picture

November 05, 2018 at 09:31 pm

I think it could have proven to just be a set back, but the defense couldn't adjust. McDaniels owned Pettine the last two drives, the offense was just pathetic.

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Tundraboy's picture

November 06, 2018 at 09:58 am

Exactly it's a momentum shift if you let it continue. This is where the ensuing lack of adjustments always end up biting us on the ass.

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Chuck Farley's picture

November 05, 2018 at 08:08 pm

This had zip to do with the loss. Sorry the game I watched had Daniels change up what his lethargic o was doing with some creative plays and boom 14 quick points and it was over.
Mental Mike had no such plays or answers. How he can see what the chiefs and others are doing with backs, outs, slants and old Mike, let's pass, then run, then pass pass and a run.

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Razer's picture

November 06, 2018 at 06:49 am

...This had zip to do with the loss. Sorry the game I watched had Daniels change up what his lethargic o was doing with some creative plays and boom 14 quick points and it was over...

You are totally right. Packers offense should have been advancing the ball against a suspect Pats defense all game long. Our GOAT was too busy hanging onto the ball waiting for his route tree to blossom. Offense let this team down again and Aaron Jones had little to do with it.

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SoCalJim's picture

November 05, 2018 at 08:39 pm

The other Aaron fumbled twice, but thankfully, out-of-bounds each time. Unfortunate for A. Jones that his fumble went to the Pats. It’s a pity that he had to sit on the bench for a while after making this mistake.

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LeotisHarris's picture

November 05, 2018 at 09:02 pm

Could be a game changer for my holiday shopping as well. Deep discounts coming soon to the Packers Pro Shop if this skid continues.

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EddieLeeIvory's picture

November 05, 2018 at 09:14 pm

2 weeks in a row a RB fumbles away a big game.

#FireCorky

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Lphill's picture

November 05, 2018 at 09:18 pm

Mike McCarthy fumbled his way through this game , out coached as usual , vanilla play calling , not enough carries for jones , it’s like ground hog day now everyone knows what’s coming but nobody can change it. Gute please shake up this team now and fire MM before it’s too late. The Browns will take him.

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Jonathan Spader's picture

November 06, 2018 at 09:29 am

Murphy has to be the one to fire MM Gute doesn't have the authority. If he did I wouldn't be surprised if MM was already gone.

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Bearmeat's picture

November 05, 2018 at 09:33 pm

Let's not forget that there was a full quarter of game left when this happened. The team imploded completely after the fumble. I don't think the fumble caused the loss directly... just sloppy and poor play on both sides of the ball.

It's time for a completely new direction

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Razer's picture

November 06, 2018 at 06:43 am

...Let's not forget that there was a full quarter of game left when this happened...

A full quarter and the Pats recovered the fumble on their own 24. Its football. Force a punt and march back down with a bubble screen to Cobb for the score. Shouldn't have been the end of the world.

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PAPackerbacker's picture

November 05, 2018 at 09:40 pm

I really don't understand why Jones was put on the bench after the fumble. I would think he would want to make up for the fumble and work even harder at running the ball. I don't see AR on the bench when he fumbles, or Adams. or Cobb. just doesn't make any sense to put Jones on the bench. Most good players want to make up for a mistake and will work harder, given the chance.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

November 05, 2018 at 10:39 pm

It was the normal per drive rotation. Jones was back the drive after.

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PAPackerbacker's picture

November 06, 2018 at 03:10 am

Oh, OK. My mistake.

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TKWorldWide's picture

November 06, 2018 at 05:54 am

I was thinking the same thing.

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SoCalJim's picture

November 06, 2018 at 11:13 am

The "normal per drive rotation" in Q4 just seemed abnormal to me. The game was on the line and A. Jones makes things happen. Williams, although good, isn't on the same level. Oh well.

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Packer_Fan's picture

November 06, 2018 at 07:47 am

Yeah, Jones messed up. The replay showed that when first being hit, he used both hands to cover up the ball, but then drops his right hand when starting to fall. That is coaching to ensure both hands are used through the fall. I don't blame Jones here. It happened and they need to work with him.

But check out Packers Wire. In their article two game changing plays, there was one play early in the first half that killed a drive. Third down, four yards to go. Should be plenty of options. Four receivers split out. three run deep routes. Adams runs an out route. But by the time he comes free, Rodgers is already escaping the pocket to the opposite side of the field. No place for Rodgers to go with the ball. That play was more of a game changer than Jones' play. This play is a great example of how play calling impacts the game. Packers aren't going nowhere until these types of plays are reduced or eliminated.

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Barazinho's picture

November 06, 2018 at 04:11 pm

It looked like Graham was open deep on that play...

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Jonathan Spader's picture

November 06, 2018 at 09:33 am

The game changing play that I was was Tonyan's running into the kicker penalty. The Packers had the Patriot's offense backed up on 4th and 21 and what should have been a stupid 5 yard penalty instead inexplicably gave the Patriots a free 1st down and they used the momentum. Whitehead's open handed slap was stupid but not worth an ejection. I said prior to the game that there would be some head scratching penalties that go the Patriot's way and that the Packers would find a way to shoot themselves in the foot to lose the game. Unfortunately, this team proved me right.

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Gianich's picture

November 06, 2018 at 11:45 am

8 quarters without a forced turnover....

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Rick1's picture

November 06, 2018 at 03:14 pm

The packers haven’t put together 4 quarters 2 here and 1 their. They are a average team and playing hard in spurts isn’t getting it done. Then add in no discipline that turn into bone headed penalties. Frustrated QB not playing well, a coach with stubbornness and can’t make the in game adjustments is what is going on.

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