Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs is expected to play Sunday against the Denver Broncos despite missing practice time this week and being listed as questionable on the final injury report, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Jacobs, who is still battling swelling and stiffness in his knee, missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday but was able to participate in a limited capacity on Friday. The injury originally happened in New York on Nov. 16, and Jacobs missed one game while recovering, but he’s played in back-to-back games for the Packers, who are 9-3-1 and competing for playoff positioning in the NFC with four games to go.
On Friday, coach Matt LaFleur said Jacobs was feeling better before getting in his first practice of the week. Schefter wrote the Packers are “mindful” that a crucial division game against the Chicago Bears is just a week away, potentially suggesting a split workload is coming for Jacobs on Sunday in Denver.
Across 12 games this season, Jacobs has rushed 217 times for 806 yards and 12 touchdowns while adding 31 catches for 251 yards.
LaFleur’s team elevated Pierre Strong Jr. from the practice squad for depth at running back, where the Packers are also dealing with the unknown availability of backup Emanuel Wilson. Per Schefter, Wilson showed up at the facility on Saturday with a virus that required medication. The Packers added him to the injury report and listed him as questionable, and it will depend on how Wilson feels Sunday in Denver if he can play.
If Wilson can’t go and Jacobs is limited in any way, the Packers would be left with Strong and Chris Brooks as the two available running backs against the Broncos, who rank No. 1 in the NFL in yards allowed per rush this season.
The Packers and Broncos will kick off from Empower Field at Mile High at 3:25 p.m. on Sunday. Gameday inactives are due around 1:55 p.m. CT.