Lloyd rushed three times for seven yards and brought in his only target for nine yards in the Packers' 27-19 win over the Panthers on Thursday. In his second game of the season, Josh Jacobs logged a total of 27 touches, leaving precious little work for any other back. Lloyd slightly outpaced Pierre Strong by two carries, but he still logged a season low in rush attempts. With Jacobs looking fully capable of handling a workhorse role moving forward, Lloyd may be destined for similar volume to Thursday's on most weeks as long as his star teammate is available
Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd faces a reduced role in Thursday's Week 8 matchup against Carolina following Josh Jacobs' return to the lineup. Lloyd rushed six times for 20 yards and caught two passes for 15 yards in Sunday's loss to Detroit, playing 36% of Green Bay's offensive snaps. Jacobs immediately reclaimed the lead role, playing 52% of the snaps while handling 11 carries and seven targets. Carolina presents an excellent rushing matchup, allowing an NFL-worst 153.2 yards per game after surrendering 258 yards and three rushing touchdowns to Tampa Bay last week. However, Lloyd may not receive enough opportunities to take advantage, particularly if Jacobs' workload increases in his second game back. Green Bay will be without center Sean Rhyan (ankle) and guard Travis Glover (knee), further complicating the rushing attack. Lloyd has averaged just 2.6 yards per carry through seven games, making his limited workload difficult to trust. RotoBaller ranks him RB54 for Week 8, leaving him on fantasy benches outside the deepest leagues
Tom Brady’s insistence on working for Fox while owning a piece of the Raiders creates potential complications beyond the restrictions on his access to team facilities and practices. When it comes to criticizing game officials, there’s a line he can’t cross. As the league has previously explained it, Brady is prohibited from being “egregiously critical of officiating” or “call[ing] into question the integrity of an official or the crew.” On Sunday in Detroit, Brady criticized multiple officiating decisions. The overriding question is whether the league office will regard the criticism as “egregious.” In the third quarter, Packers linebacker Brenton Cox Jr. knocked Lions quarterback Jared Goff to the ground after a throw. The officials called Cox for roughing the passer. “Not much at all,” Brady said over the replay. “It’s coming off the block. His face is buried. I don’t know about that. I mean . . . that’s a tough one.” Fox rules analyst (and former NFL senior V.P. of officiating) Dean Blandino agreed. “He’s coming off the block,” Blandino said. “You really want to see more force there. It’s almost like he’s just trying to keep himself up. There’s no real extension. I don’t like that as roughing.” “I don’t like it either,” Brady said. In the fourth quarter, after Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes was flagged for an illegal hit on Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd, Brady was blunt. “What?” Brady said. “There’s no way. . . . Oh, come on, man. Come on. [Jordan] Love throws it over the middle. There’s linebackers in the middle. He’s just turning his right shoulder away from it. That’s allowed 99 out of 100 [times]. . . . It’s a bang-bang play. I know in super slow-mo every little minute frame looks like a lot, but when you’re on the field, you’ve got to pursue that ball. If [Lloyd] catches it, [Barnes] needs force to knock him on the ground. He needs force to knock that ball out. . . . He can’t go in there and put his hand on him.” Later, during Detroit’s game-winning drive, Brady sounded off on a questionable roughing the passer call, after Packers defensive tackle Karl Brooks hit Lions quarterback Jared Goff following a throw. “Oh my goodness, what is that?” Brady said. “There’s no way! Brooks on the tackle. Kind of makes a great play. It’s a bang-bang play. He rolls off his body. It’s a great throw by Goff. It’s definitely not roughing the passer. I mean, you just — you’re just ripping through the line of scrimmage to try to get the quarterback on the ground. Look, I love Goff standing there in the pocket. But you just can’t keep tacking on 15 yards.” Blandino agreed with Brady’s assessment again. “It wasn’t late,” Blandino said. “They might have said head/neck area. But this is not head/neck area. His head is up. That’s teach-tape tackle. That’s not roughing the passer.” Each of the calls seemed unwarranted. But the league’s rules don’t create an exception based on accuracy of the criticism. Team personnel (including owners) can only say so much when it comes to publicly criticizing officials. Is it “egregious”? The folks at Merriam-Webster define the term as “ very noticeable .” If that’s the same definition the NFL uses, Brady’s comments qualify. It has nothing to do with Brady’s role as a broadcaster. (If anything, Kevin Burkhardt’s criticism of the calls was even stronger.) However, the league has a policy that muzzles team personnel, including owners. If Brady gets dinged for this, it’s not because he’s working for Fox. It’s because he’s working for Fox while owning a piece of the Raiders
The author speculates that the Denver Broncos might bench quarterback Bo Nix due to his poor performance and conservative passing style. Additionally, the author notes that Kenneth Walker III had a subdued return to Seattle in Week 7
Green Bay Packers running back Pierre Strong Jr. played 41% of the offensive snaps in his first game of the season against Chicago, but the production was limited. Strong rushed five times for seven yards and caught three of four targets for 11 yards. MarShawn Lloyd remained the lead option, handling 10 carries and scoring two touchdowns. Chris Brooks (ankle) is on injured reserve, which has opened additional snaps in the backfield. Josh Jacobs is eligible to return in Week 7, so Strong's current role may last only one more game. Dallas has allowed an NFL-high 168.4 rushing yards per game, giving Green Bay a favorable matchup Sunday night. Strong's involvement in the passing game offers some value, but his limited workload and production make him difficult to trust. RotoBaller ranks Strong RB45 for Week 6, leaving him as a deep-league Flex option
Green Bay Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd rushed 10 times for 31 yards and two touchdowns against Chicago while adding one reception for six yards. Lloyd scored on runs of six and four yards, giving him both of Green Bay's goal-to-go rushing touchdowns. He led the backfield with a 44% snap share, although Pierre Strong Jr. was close behind at 41%, keeping Green Bay's backfield in a committee. Lloyd has averaged only 2.8 yards per carry through five games, and his two touchdowns accounted for most of his fantasy production last week. He has handled 23 touches over the past two games, while his short-yardage role gives him additional scoring opportunities. Dallas has allowed an NFL-high 168.4 rushing yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry, including 241 rushing yards against Tampa Bay last week. Josh Jacobs will be eligible to return in Week 7, making this an important opportunity for Lloyd. RotoBaller ranks Lloyd RB19 for Week 6, placing him in the RB2 range with some workload risk
MarShawn Lloyd has regained a prominent role in the Green Bay Packers' backfield after an early-season slump. Following Week 2 and 3 usage splits with Kaleb Johnson and Chris Brooks, Lloyd saw increased snaps (55% in Week 4, 44% in Week 5) and has delivered solid fantasy performances, including receiving work and short-yardage touchdowns. He is now considered a touchdown-dependent FLEX play
The Packers got out to a 14-0 advantage, but the Bears cut into it with a long drive in the second quarter. Green Bay’s lead over Chicago is now down to 14-7 at halftime. Jordan Love hit Christian Watson for a 42-yard touchdown to open the scoring in the first quarter. And then the Packers took advantage of a Tyson Bagnet interception to score with a Marshawn Lloyd 6-yard touchdown. But after a punt, the Bears used a 16-play, 78-yard drive to score with a fourth-down, 1-yard touchdown run by D’Andre Swift. Before that drive, the Bears had just one first down in the game. They had six on that singular possession, converting three third downs and getting another with a defensive holding penalty. Bagent, who is making his second consecutive start in place of the injured Caleb Williams, is 7-of-12 for 54 yards with an interception. D’Andre Swift has 35 yards on eight carries and is the leading receiver with three catches for 24 yards. Love has completed 13-of-15 passes for 109 yards with a touchdown. Lloyd leads with 32 yards on six carries. On the injury front, Packers returner Skyy Moore (ankle) and Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards (hamstring) are both questionable to return. The Packers will receive the second-half kickoff
