Sunday’s win over the Washington Redskins featured what might have been the finest blocking performance from veteran tight end Marcedes “Big Dog” Lewis since he arrived in Green Bay to start the 2018 season.
Lewis, the 14th year pro, was a run-blocking machine for the Packers, and he was a big reason why Aaron Jones ran for a season-high 134 yards in the 20-15 win.
Re-watch any of Jones’ biggest runs and you’ll probably find an impressive block from Lewis.
On his 4-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, Lewis combined with Bryan Bulaga to open the lane to the right side.
On his 16-yard run in the first quarter, Lewis got to the second level and walled off the inside linebacker.
On his 42-yard run in the second quarter, Lewis got to the second level and eliminated the inside linebacker from the play.
On his 23-yard run in the third quarter, Lewis took on rookie edge rusher Montez Sweat at the point of attack and opened it up for Jones to bounce it outside.
(He even helped out Jamaal Williams. On Williams’ 4th-and-1 run for seven yards, Lewis took on Sweat on the backside of the run and escorted him straight to the ground.)
On his 10-yard run in the third quarter, Lewis got to the second level and walled off the inside linebacker.
On his 12-yard run in the fourth quarter, Lewis took on a run-blitzing Landon Collins and kept him from affecting the play from the backside.
That’s seven runs gaining 114 yards where Lewis delivered one of the key blocks on the play. The effort rightly earned Lewis a spot in the “studs” category of this week’s studs and duds column.
The Packers brought Lewis back in 2019 with a one-year contract worth $2.1 million. They are getting every cent of value out of that deal. Lewis plays a specific and important role as a do-it-all run blocker, and he’s executing that role at a high level. He caught only one pass on Sunday, but Big Dog did all the dirty work for Jones and the Packers run game.
