Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy (center) walks towards the field before the start of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015.
Packers RB Eddie Lacy has been hampered by an ankle injury so far this season. Cary Edmondson USA TODAY Sports
Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy has gotten off to a slow start, after injuring his ankle early in the season. After back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to start his NFL career, Lacy is on pace to finish his third year with fewer than 700 yards on the ground.
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy is confident that Green Bay's week of rest has worked wonders for Lacy and his achey ankle.
"He looks good just watching him work out Monday in the individual stuff," McCarthy said of Lacy this week, per Ryan Wood of Press-Gazette Media. "I don't think the injury is affecting him anymore."
The Packers need Lacy to make a healthy return, because now his backup, James Starks, is hurting with a hip injury. Starks sat out of practice on Monday and Wednesday, according to a report from the Journal Sentinel, while Lacy worked his way back into the mix.
McCarthy wants to run more offensive plays moving forward, according to Press-Gazette Media. More plays means more opportunities for Lacy to reestablish his presence in Green Bay's offense.
"We're not running enough plays," McCarthy said. "If I was going to emphasize, we need more attempts at the plate. Sixty attempts a game, that's not what we're looking for. Offensively, we have a chance to clean our own house. We need more attempts in the run game, but we need more total plays. We want to be in the 70s."
Lacy hasn't cracked 20 carries in a single game yet this year. He'll get his first chance to prove that he can still be the team's workhorse at running back when the Packers take on the Denver Broncos in Week 8.
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