By being the most physical team, the Browns have limited the scoring impact of running backs. Through two games, Cleveland has allowed one rushing touchdown this season, a 5-yard rushing touchdown from Brown on the Bengals’ first possession. For Jacobs, he has reached the end zone in both games for the Packers this season and has scored a rushing touchdown in 11 consecutive games, dating back to the 2024 season.
S Grant Delpit said the Browns plan to break Jacobs’ touchdown streak. In order to break the streak and stop Jacobs from using his physicality to his advantage to pick up extra yards, Schwesinger said whoever makes contact with him first needs to hold him up. Holding Jacobs up will give the Browns the opportunity to gang tackle him and bring him down at the spot rather than give him yards after contact.
Against Jacobs, stopping him at the point of attack is crucial in stopping the Packers’ offense as a whole. Through two games, the Packers have used the run game to begin drives to set up QB Jordan Love and open up the passing game. Once Jacobs and the rushing attack can open up the opposition’s defense, the Packers turn to Love. They have used play action on early downs to catch the defense off guard and throw the ball deep to try and create explosive plays.
The Packers have completed three of their nine attempted passes that have traveled 20 yards downfield, with Love throwing the completions on either first or second down. When Love throws less than 20 yards, he completes 72.7 percent of his passes.
“They use the run to set up that stuff. It doesn’t work if you’re not a good running offense, and it goes back to Jacobs,” Schwartz said. “Their run creates their opportunities to push the ball down the field on those first and second downs, and that’s just sort of built into the way they do things.”