Spotlight on Packers RB Eddie Lacy
Height: 5-11 Weight: 230
Season: 2nd College: Alabama
Strengths: Lacy is a tough runner, with a strong lower body. He is hard to tackle. He will run through tacklers or spin away from them. Lacy has become a workhorse in the NFL. He has carried 20 times or more in 13 games in his 31-game career. Lacy has quicker feet than defenders think, allowing him to make unexpected cuts. He is hard to stop in short-yardage and goal-line situations. He has 58 first downs this season, and for his career, he has 71 carries on downs of 3 yards or less and has 43 first downs and 12 touchdowns on such carries.
Weaknesses: Lacy does not have great speed. He ran a 4.59 in the 40-yard dash at his pro day in 2013. He has only 11 runs of 20 yards or more, including eight this year. Lacy has struggled to stay healthy in his two seasons, though he has missed only one game. His blocking still could use improvement. The Packers are using him as a three-down back, but he can be a liability in blitz pickup. He has lost three fumbles in his career, including one in Week 17.
Last game: He rushed for 100 yards on 26 carries and caught three passes for 26 yards in the Packers’ 30-20 victory over the Detroit Lions in Week 17. He also lost a fumble.
Who has to stop him? The Cowboys ranked eighth against the run. They allowed two 100-yard rushers this season: Houston’s Arian Foster had 23 carries for 157 yards, and Philadelphia’s LeSean McCoy had 25 carries for 159 yards. The Cowboys need linebacker Rolando McClain to play and play well.
Notable: Lacy has back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to start his career. He had 1,178 yards last season and 1,139 this year. … He averaged 4.6 yards per carry this season and has a career per-carry average of 4.4. … Lacy had 141 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries last season against the Cowboys. He also caught four passes for 30 yards. … Lacy rushed for 592 yards on 117 carries, a 5.1 average, over the final six games. That was the third most in that span behind only Denver’s C.J. Anderson (648) and Dallas’ DeMarco Murray (612). … Lacy’s 929 yards from scrimmage over the past eight games was the fourth most by a Packers player since 1978 and the most since Ahman Green’s 1,098 in 2003. … Lacy scored eight of his touchdowns at Lambeau Field. … The Packers are 13-2 in the past 15 games they have run the ball at least 25 times, including 10-1 this season. The Packers are 73-15-1 under Mike McCarthy when running it 25-plus times.
This story was originally published January 10, 2015 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Spotlight on Packers RB Eddie Lacy."