GREEN BAY, Wis. _ It was supposed to be a short breather, just enough time for Jamaal Williams to catch his breath after taking part in about 50 plays and touching the ball on almost half of them.
The Green Bay Packers rookie running back signaled to the sideline that he needed a break.
"I was trying to get just one play and come back in," Williams said.
No need.
Williams' impact on the Packers' 26-20 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lambeau Field on Sunday was going to carry over into the next play and make him the hero of this unlikely victory even if he didn't score the touchdown that won it.
Fellow rookie Aaron Jones, who owned the No. 1 running back position before tearing his medial collateral ligament against Chicago three weeks ago, came in for just his second play of the game.
With 6 minutes, 8 seconds left in the 10-minute extra period, Jones took the handoff from quarterback Brett Hundley, saw his path up the middle cut off and bounced the play to the left. Before anyone knew it, Jones was diving into the end zone to lift the Packers to 6-6 and keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
"As soon as I saw Aaron do that thing, and pop out, I'm like, 'I'm good, he gone. Touchdown.' " Williams said.
The fact Jones could bounce the play outside and have only one defender with any hope of bringing him down was a tribute to Williams' 21 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown in the previous 63 minutes, 52 seconds.
Williams had repeatedly pounded the ball between the tackles and the Buccaneers had no choice but to start committing hard to the run.
On the final play, the Packers ran a "power" or gap scheme to the right, hoping to get Jones running behind guard Lane Taylor. But the Buccaneers had 10 players rush the line of scrimmage and Jones had nothing open to the right.
So, he bounced off tight end Richard Rodgers and headed left. As he turned the corner, receiver Jordy Nelson, who had stopped because the play was going the other direction, went and found cornerback Brent Grimes and shielded him off.
Jones outran everyone else and scored.
"As much as we run inside _ running inside zone, inside zone, gap schemes _ they start filling the hole and clogging up the middle. It frees up the edges," right tackle Jason Spriggs said.
"And like what happened with Aaron, everybody just flooded the middle and he was able to escape."
The Packers' eight-play, 72-yard game-winning drive was a combination of skill, determination and opportunity. But it also highlighted an adjustment coach Mike McCarthy made in the run game that he probably should have made a lot earlier.
