Only five ball carriers moved faster in Week 2 than Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed on his 22-yard run in the first half against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
According to Next Gen Stats, Reed had a top speed of 20.54 mph, making him the fastest running back for the Packers in the 2024 season and the sixth-fastest running back in the NFL in Week 2.
On the play, Reed lined up in the defensive zone and caught a pass backward that moved from left to right. He turned in the corner thanks to a block by Christian Watson, pressed the gas upfield and probably reached top speed at some point between the 20- and 30-yard lines.
As the kids say, Matt LaFleur was in his sophomore week.
In the first action of the second drive, #Packers make a play that initially looked like a pass to Josh Jacobs but turned into a 22-yard pass to Jayden Reed (officially a running pass because the ball went backward). photo:twitter.com/em1m9IgAAj
— Jason B. Hirschhorn (@by_JBH) September 17, 2024
Reed, who the Packers ran in 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash out of Michigan State, has already stepped on the gas pedal in 2024. He had a 33-yard touchdown run and a 70-yard touchdown catch in the opener and added two runs for 37 yards on Sunday. Reed’s nine touches in 2024 gave him 171 yards from the scrimmage. He led all players in receiving yards (138) after Week 1 and now leads all NFL receivers in rushing yards (70) after two weeks.
Last season, Reed led the Packers in rushing at 21.52 mph on a 32-yard touchdown run in Week 11, which was the 17th-fastest in the NFL heading into 2023.
Reed wasn’t the only Packers player showing off for the Jets on Sunday. Quarterback Malik Willis clocked a top speed of 19.96 mph on a 12-yard run in the first quarter, making him the 16th-fastest running back in Week 2 and the fastest quarterback overall. Willis finished with 41 yards rushing.
The fastest player with the ball in Week 2? Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford, who clocked 21.29 mph on a 36-yard run against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
