The Packers offense will have some new wrinkles. Matt LaFleur is taking over, and he’ll have some of his own ideas he’ll want to implement.

I don’t know exactly what he has in mind (let’s see who they draft next week) but it’s a safe bet we’ll see more running plays. The Packers last season became just the fifth team in this century to finish with over twice as many plays passing as rushing.

Since 2000, only three teams have passed the ball on a higher percentage of their plays.

Going with a pass-crazy approach doesn’t tend to be a winning formula. Of the 39 teams that have passed on at least 64 percent of their plays since 2000, only four have made the playoffs. Only 6 have finished with winning records.

On chart below, I’ve got the five 2018 teams in bold. I put a black dot next to the winning records to make them stand out more.

PASSING ON OVER 64 PERCENT OF PLAYS
Year TeamRecordPassRunPct
2013Atlanta Falcons4-1270332168.7%
2006Detroit Lions3-1365930468.4%
2013Cleveland Browns4-1273034867.7%
2018Green Bay Packers6-9-169333367.5%
2018Pittsburgh Steelers•9-6-171334567.4%
2005Arizona Cardinals5-1171536066.5%
2002St. Louis Rams7-968134366.5%
2007Detroit Lions7-964132466.4%
2011Detroit Lions•10-670235666.4%
2012Detroit Lions4-1276939166.3%
2012Dallas Cowboys8-869435566.2%
2014Oakland Raiders3-1365733766.1%
2016Baltimore Ravens8-871236766.0%
2008Arizona Cardinals•9-765834065.9%
2001Detroit Lions2-1467535165.8%
2015Detroit Lions7-967635465.6%
2010Arizona Cardinals5-1161132065.6%
2012Arizona Cardinals5-1166635265.4%
2012New Orleans Saints7-969737065.3%
2018Atlanta Falcons7-965935165.2%
2004Oakland Raiders5-1161232765.2%
2013Miami Dolphins8-865234965.1%
2015Jacksonville Jaguars5-1165835465.0%
2010Washington 6-1065135165.0%
2013Dallas Cowboys8-862133664.9%
2015Miami Dolphins6-1063334464.8%
2014Chicago Bears5-1165035564.7%
2015Baltimore Ravens5-1170038364.6%
2005Philadelphia Eagles6-1066236564.5%
2018Minnesota Vikings•8-7-164635764.4%
2016Cleveland Browns1-1563335064.4%
2010New Orleans Saints•11-568738064.4%
2016Detroit Lions•9-763135064.3%
2015San Diego Chargers4-1270739364.3%
2000San Diego Chargers1-1563135164.3%
2011Tampa Bay Buccaneers4-1262034664.2%
2014Atlanta Falcons6-1066337264.1%
2018New York Giants5-1163035464.0%
2012Jacksonville Jaguars2-1463635864.0%

LaFleur in 2017 was with the Rams. That offense ran more of a run-oriented scheme (ranking in the bottom-10 in percentage of pass plays). And LaFleur was the coordinator in Tennessee last year, with that offense being one of the most run-oriented in the league.

The Packers still have Aaron Rodgers, of course. He won’t be phased out. If you have one of the league’s best passers, you’re going to let him do his thing. But there should be a healthier mix of running plays mixed in this year.

—Ian Allan