Aaron Jones knee injury update: Matt LaFleur believes Packers RB avoided serious setback

The Green Bay Packers (4-6) bounced back with 23-20 nail-biter of a win at home in Week 11 over the visiting Los Angeles Chargers, a contest in which Packers first-year, full-time starting quarterback Jordan Love (322 passing yards and two touchdowns on 27 of 40 passing) outperformed Chargers Pro Bowl passer Justin Herbert (260 passing yards and two passing touchdowns on 21 of 36 passing). However, the win came at the cost of Green Bay Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones. He suffered a knee injury on a 2-yard run just over three minutes before halftime. 

“I don’t think it’s long term,” LaFleur said of Jones’ injury postgame on Sunday, via Sports Illustrated Media Group. “Seeing it live, it did not look good, but he’s in good spirits.”    

Jones’ thoughts while being carted off immediately went to the worst-case scenario: a torn ACL.

“If it was my ACL, then I’m done for the season,” Jones said postgame, via The Athletic. “I put in a lot of work and time in here with these guys, it felt like ‘man, I can’t catch a break,’ but I caught a break. I hope it’s not anything serious, and I’ll be back here.”

However, Jones has not yet undergone an MRI to truly determine the severity of the injury. 

“We haven’t done an MRI or anything, so we have to go do that first,” Jones said.

Jones missed three of the team’s first four games this season after suffering a hamstring injury on a 35-yard receiving touchdown in the Packers’ 38-20 Week 1 victory at the Chicago Bears. Packers third-string running back Emanuel Wilson, an undrafted free agent, was also carted off on Sunday with a shoulder, leaving 2020 second-round pick AJ Dillon as the only running back currently standing on the active roster. That means general manager Brian Gutekunst likely has to get to work to find able-bodied depth at the position ASAP because the Packers face the Lions in four days on Thanksgiving.

“That’s a great question,” LaFleur said postgame, via USA Today. “We’ll have a solution for it. I trust Gutey, and I know he and his staff are on it.”