Packers' Eddie Lacy: Roller-coaster season is 'starting to level out'

Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy has weathered some ups and downs of this season. 

Ankle and groin injuries stifled his production and even led to a demotion, as Green Bay called upon James Starks to serve a brief stint as the team's No. 1 back. Lacy has bounced back since then with two consecutive 100-yard outings.

The third-year running back believes his roller-coaster ride has finally come to an end, according to Ryan Wood of Press-Gazette Media.

With Lacy in improving health, the Packers have been able to put the ball in his hands more often. He recorded 23 offensive touches in a Week 11 win over the Minnesota Vikings, 21 in a Week 12 loss to the Chicago Bears. Before these two games, he had not recorded more than 20 offensive touches since Week 1.

The increased workload has helped Lacy find his stride. However, in that Bears game, Lacy lost a costly fumble. Moving forward, the Packers must take this tradeoff into consideration.

Although things are starting to come together for the bruising running back, Lacy is still projected to finish with less than 750 rushing yards this season. After kicking off his career with back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons, this is quite a statistical decline.

While it may be too late for Lacy to match those previous yardage totals, it's not too late for the Packers to make the playoffs. They need their star running back to keep rolling down the stretch -- and hold onto the ball.