Packers running back Eddie Lacy rumbles for a 61-yard run against the Cardinals. The third-year player ran out of gas and couldn’t score on his longest run of the season. Credit: Mark Hoffman

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Green Bay — The run was exhilarating, intoxicating and embarrassing all at once.

During Green Bay's divisional playoff game at Arizona, Eddie Lacy ripped off a 61-yard run early in the third quarter. It was Lacy's longest run of the season, and Green Bay's second-longest of the year.

But getting from Point A to B was quite the adventure.

Lacy ran off left guard and was untouched through the hole. Right tackle Bryan Bulaga and right guard T.J. Lang pulled beautifully, and no Arizona defender made contact with Lacy until he was 11 yards downfield.

There, Lacy spun away from two defenders and went the next 48 yards untouched. Finally, safety Rashad Johnson jumped on Lacy's back and brought him down at the Cardinals' 8-yard-line.

While the run was thrilling for Packer Nation, it was also painful.

Lacy looked more like an offensive guard rumbling in the open field than a 25-year-old running back in the supposed prime of his career. In fact, Lacy's 61-yard run took 12.02 seconds to complete.

On one hand, Lacy showed the vision, balance and power to pull off a 61-yard run. On the other, Lacy's weight problem — a year-long issue — was never more apparent.

Two days after the season ended, Mike McCarthy blasted Lacy in perhaps his most scathing public criticism of a player in his 10 years as Green Bay's coach.

"Eddie Lacy, he's got a lot of work to do. I think I'm stating the obvious," McCarthy said. "His off-season last year was not good enough, and he never recovered from it.... He has to get it done because he cannot play at the weight that he played at this year."

The Packers listed Lacy at 234 pounds all season. But it's a good bet Lacy was at least 25 pounds heavier than that. In fact, from the waist down, you couldn't tell the difference between Lacy and 301-pound center Corey Linsley.

Even with an out-of-shape Lacy, Green Bay ranked 12th in rushing yards per game (115.6) and 11th in yards per carry. Just think what the rushing attack might have looked like if Lacy could have pushed away from the buffet table.

"I think as a team, we're disappointed in the fact that we didn't accomplish our ultimate goal, and obviously, he plays an important part in that by not being able to win the world championship this year," Packers offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett said of Lacy. "As far as how do we get him back to perform at that high level, we continue to educate him, we demand, we support. I think that's a big part of it."

It's almost surreal that after two sensational seasons, Lacy now finds himself at a career crossroads.

Lacy compiled 2,317 rushing yards in his first two seasons — more than any player in team history in their first two years. Lacy also scored 24 total touchdowns in that stretch, the most ever by a Green Bay player in his first two seasons.

Lacy became just the fourth player in franchise history to record consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons. And Lacy was the No. 1 reason Green Bay's rushing offense took off in 2013 and '14.

Then came the forgetful 2015 season, in which Lacy's 758 yards and five total touchdowns were both career lows. Lacy's rushing average of 4.05 yards per carry was also his lowest total as a Packer.

Tony Horton, the creator of P90X, made headlines last week when he offered to whip Lacy into shape. No matter what path Lacy takes, his NFL and financial future are both on the line.

Lacy turns 26 in June and will enter the final year of his contract next season. If he can come back in shape and produce at a high level, perhaps he'll receive a solid second contract. If Lacy has a repeat of 2015, he could just as easily be out of the league.

Lacy isn't the only Packers running back in flux. Veterans James Starks and John Kuhn are both set to become unrestricted free agents next month.

Starks set career highs in rushing yards (601), total yards (993) and total touchdowns this season (five). Starks had five fumbles, though, the same number as his last four seasons combined.

Starks turns 30 on Feb. 25, which is usually the age many running backs begin their descent. But Starks has just 555 carries in six NFL seasons, and could seek the chance to become a No. 1 running back elsewhere.

"I feel like I'm still learning. You learn every day," Starks said. "I didn't lose no speed. I didn't lose no burst. I know everybody has their stereotype of a certain age, this, that and the third. But I still feel young. Not a lot of wear and tear. I still feel good."

Kuhn, 33, would like to play another year or two and had another solid campaign. Kuhn's blocking these days is just so-so, but he knows the offense as well as anyone. He's also a favorite of both quarterback Aaron Rodgers and McCarthy.

The Packers will have to decide if second-year man Aaron Ripkowski is ready to be the lead dog at fullback. Ripkowski, a sixth-round draft choice in 2015, was a solid performer on special teams this year, but he also had just 18 snaps from scrimmage in 2015.

"Of course I'd like to be back," Kuhn said late in the year. "This is a great place. We'll just have to see what happens."

This story appeared in Packer Plus Magazine. To subscribe, call 414-224-2222 or go to www.jsonline.com/subscribe.