The New Orleans Saints are aiming to improve their record to 3-0 when they head on the road to take on the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon.

It should certainly be a fun battle to watch, as the Packers have looked rather interesting with Jordan Love under center through the first two weeks of the season.

The problem for the Saints is that their ground game has some serious questions heading into the matchup.

New Orleans is already without Alvin Kamara, who is serving a three-game suspension for his involvement during a fight in Las Vegas in February 2022. To make matters worse, Jamaal Williams may miss the game due to a hamstring injury he suffered in the Saints’ Week 2 win over the Carolina Panthers.

With quarterback Derek Carr having his fair share of struggles over the first couple of games, throwing one touchdown and a couple of picks while posting a passer rating of 80.2, it seems important for New Orleans to get its rushing attack going against the Packers.

But without Kamara and Williams, that may prove difficult.

That is where Tony Jones Jr. enters the picture.

Jones is expected to be the lead running back on Sunday, with rookie halfback Kendre Miller also expected to make his debut after missing the first two weeks with a hamstring issue of his own.

Jones relieved Williams last week and punched in a couple of touchdowns. The 224-pound bruiser wasn’t very efficient, carrying the ball 12 times for just 34 yards, but he will have to be more effective this Sunday to make things easier on Carr and the Saints’ passing game.

Now in his second stint with New Orleans, Jones is not accustomed to taking on a featured role. Now in his fifth NFL season, Jones has carried the ball just 80 times in his career, with his highest usage coming in 2021 when he ran it 54 times for 142 yards. Jones is averaging just 2.7 yards per attempt lifetime.

Still, as inefficient as Jones has been throughout his NFL tenure, he will likely be getting his fair share of touches. Miller will surely get the ball as well, but you have to think that the more experienced Jones will be seeing the brunt of the action.

Back when Drew Brees was under center, running the football wasn’t as much of a concern. Yes, the Saints still had good running backs like Mark Ingram and Kamara, but there wasn’t nearly as much pressure on New Orleans’ rushing attack at that point. Not that Carr is a bum; he is perfectly capable of leading an offense, but unlike Brees, he could surely use some support from halfbacks.

Expect the Saints to try and get Jones going early on Sunday in order to open up the field for Carr and the Saints’ deep stable of receivers.

New Orleans’ offensive success against Green Bay could ultimately ride on just how successful Jones (and Miller) are in breaking off some big gains.