National Football League

Lacy gets rolling, helps lead Packers to blowout win

Published Oct. 3, 2014 3:25 a.m. ET

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GREEN BAY, Wis. -- It was the type of power move that epitomized Eddie Lacy's rookie season and the type of play that had been missing through four games this year for the Green Bay Packers running back. With a lower of his left shoulder and driving every bit of his 230-pound frame forward, Lacy delivered such a blow to Robert Blanton that the helmet of the Minnesota Vikings' safety flew off.

Pictures of the play became instantly popular online, and, less than two hours after the game, Lacy posted it on his Twitter account along with a message that simply read, "Yep."

It was a return to form for Lacy, and not just with that one play. It was a night filled with reminders that Lacy isn't going to be a one-year wonder in the NFL, finishing with 105 yards on 13 carries (8.1 average) and two touchdowns.

"I thought he was a beast in the open field," head coach Mike McCarthy said. "We blocked well and Eddie ran very well."

That's a big change from McCarthy's statement going into Week 4 that "Eddie needs to play better." It took until the fifth game of this season, but the Vikings saw the version of Lacy that made him the league's Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2013.

"He's a bruising back, and we need to find a way to keep him healthy and keep his legs juiced," Aaron Rodgers said.

Nothing that the Packers tried with Lacy in the first four games worked. Rushing-yard totals of 34, 43, 36 and 48 against the Seahawks, Jets, Lions and Bears make that fairly obvious.

Lacy admitted he became frustrated while struggling during that month-long stretch. However, he credited backup running back James Starks for making the difficult situation easier to deal with.

"Starks did a great job talking to me, keeping me level-headed, not thinking too much and not (saying) 'maybe I should do this, maybe I should do that,'" Lacy said.

Thursday night, it was apparent from the opening minutes of the game that Lacy was in control. He already had a season-high 52 rushing yards after just three carries. An 18-yard run to the right was followed by a 29-yard gain to left. The 29-yarder was Lacy's first meeting with Blanton, running him over in the open field. That would set the stage for the helmet-popping collision later.

In all, it resulted in Lacy's first 100-plus yard rushing performance in the past eight games dating back to last season.

"It's definitely a confidence boost," Lacy said.

There was only one thing that had Lacy upset after the game: the lack of attention being given to the offensive linemen. While reporters were several rows deep surrounding Lacy's locker, the guys who blocked for him were able to change clothes in peace.

Lacy thought it was David Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton, Corey Linsley, T.J. Lang and Bryan Bulaga who deserved most of the praise for Green Bay's vastly improved rushing attack.

"I think that sucks," Lacy said. "I really think it sucks, man, because those guys played a whole game, and they have to do the same thing over and over. I mean, they pretty much should get all the credit, whether it's a long touchdown run or a long touchdown pass, because without them we can't get the ball off or run the ball 10, 20, 30 yards down the field.

"The guys we have here, they really don't care about all the attention and stuff. They just like to go out and play, but it definitely sucks that everybody goes to the key players and not the guys responsible for getting everything started."

Lang seemed to appreciate Lacy's comment, but he threw it right back.

"I think Eddie did a great job of being instinctive, hitting holes hard, getting some positive yards," Lang said.

This was certainly the best run-blocking game for the Packers this season. Lang said his offensive line group had "put a big emphasis on finishing blocks. We stay engaged with our guys and give Eddie more vision to run the ball."

That emphasis worked in a major way as Green Bay got out to a 42-0 lead.

"The holes were just crazy big," Lacy said.

Whether Lacy is able to continue running this well and the offensive line is able to continue run-blocking as well as they did in this game remains to be seen. Perhaps they revert back to the struggles of the first four games. But one thing that Green Bay players won't have to worry about as they enter a mini-bye week is hearing anyone say that the running game isn't any good.

"Honestly, we were getting sick of hearing about our run game in the media," Lang said. "There just comes a time when you need a big game to take some weight off your shoulders."

After this performance, Lacy can consider the weight lifted. At least for now.

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