Littered amongst a pile of bad choices and poor play on Sunday was the festering, enigmatic narrative about Aaron Jones’ lack of opportunities.

Despite Jones proving himself to be the most dynamic running threat out of the Green Bay Packers’ backfield, coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Monday that it’s not as simple as just giving Jones more reps.

“There’s more to the offense than just running the football,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy appeared very defensive when asked to compare Jones’ skills relative to Jamaal Williams’ and Ty Montgomery’s. Rather, he insisted that circumstances, such as playing from behind and running in a no-huddle and two-minute offense have hindered substitution, skewing the reps for a player like Jones.

“We’ve been in too many out-of-balance games so far this year, but that’s the way football is,” McCarthy said.

Indeed, the Packers have been out of balance. On Sunday, the Packers fell behind by 24 points in the first half, forcing the team to abandon the running game and save clock as they attempted to climb back into the game.

The same thing happened in Chicago in Week 1. A putrid first half dictated the game plan. The Packers also fell behind by three scores in Washington.

When it comes down to it, McCarthy appears unwilling to give up the current rotation this team has.

“I think it’s very obvious the balance we’re seeking from the running back position,” McCarthy said. “I think it’s one of the strengths that we’ve had since Aaron (Jones) has come back. We have three young men we believe in, three guys that contribute. There’s more to playing the position than just running the football.”

Against the Lions, Williams led all running backs with 33 snaps, Montgomery was next with 29 and Jones drew the short straw with just 22 snaps.

Despite his limited playing time, Jones is clear and away the best runner of the three, something McCarthy does admit, saying Jones is “dynamic with the football in his hands.” Regardless of Jones’ dynamism and barring an injury, it appears as if McCarthy will remain steadfast maintaining the current rotation in the backfield.

“I don’t think (it’s) as clearly as (the reporter asking the question) is saying, where clearly one guy is superior to the other two,” McCarthy said. “They all have excellent attributes you want to build off of.”

“I feel really good about how our backs are being rotated,” McCarthy said.

If we’re looking just at the numbers and efficiency, it is, in fact, clear: In three games, Jones has rushed the ball 24 times for 147 yards (6.1 yards/carry). Montgomery is averaging 4.4 yards per carry, and Williams – although receiving a team-high 53 carries – is averaging just 3.6 yards per carry.

McCarthy maintains that there’s more to it than what the box score says, and that’s true to a point. When Rodgers’ mobility was severely compromised, Williams’ blocking proved invaluable against blitzing linebackers. Aside from that, there’s really not much else to say.

“You look at the strengths of all your people,” McCarthy said, “and Aaron (Jones) is dynamic with the football in his hands. So I think Aaron (Jones) is doing some great things, and Jamaal (Williams) is doing some great things, and Ty (Montgomery) has done some things, and it gives us diversity in our attack with all three guys in there.”

Surely Jones isn’t as solid as Williams in pass protection, but he’s also not a complete liability either. Moreover, it also wouldn’t hurt to rein in Aaron Rodgers a bit and get him to start getting the ball out quicker. His early season struggles have often been associated with his unwillingness to make the easy throw.

As for Montgomery, he’s a fine player, but he’s being completely misused. A multi-faceted weapon with natural pass-catching and route-running ability, Montgomery is at his deadliest when put in the position to square off against linebackers in the passing game. The Packers stressed a linebacker deep with Montgomery last weekend against the Bills, but aside from that (another was called back earlier this season), he’s simply been untapped schematic potential.

McCarthy leaves ambiguous the actual reason why he refuses to capitulate to the fact that Jones is the clear and obvious playmaker in the backfield deserving starter’s reps. A charitable reading opens up the possibility of saving Jones’ legs for the final run in November and December, and there’s truth to that: Jones has already been banged up a few times in his short career. They’ll need him fresh and playing well down the line if they are to make the playoffs.

Even so, the Packers have to be in a position to make the playoffs before they can justify chopping Jones’ reps down during the first half of the season. With five games in, there’s little reason to think this team can handicap their offense and still persevere through a stingy NFC.

Yes, there’s more to it than just running the football, but let that not distract us from what a running back’s primary job responsibility is: running the football.