<\/p>\n
Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) is tackled by Detroit Lions safety Chuck Clark (36) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, in Detroit.<\/p>\n
Rey Del Rio\/AP Photo\/Rey Del Rio<\/p>\n
Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) breaks a tackle by Detroit Lions cornerback Keith Abney II (6) during a touchdown reception in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, in Detroit.<\/p>\n
Paul Sancya\/AP Photo\/Paul Sancya<\/p>\n
Detroit Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes, left, breaks up a pass intended for Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, in Detroit.<\/p>\n
Rey Del Rio\/AP Photo\/Rey Del Rio<\/p>\n
Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) is tackled by Detroit Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes, left, during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, in Detroit.<\/p>\n
Paul Sancya\/AP Photo\/Paul Sancya<\/p>\n
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) \u2014 Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs\u2019 season debut showed that he couldn\u2019t instantly solve all of the problems with the NFL\u2019s lowest-ranked rushing attack.<\/p>\n
Now that he has a game under his belt, Jacobs is confident that he has shaken off the rust that came from missing the first six games of the season while on the commissioner\u2019s exempt list. The three-time Pro Bowl selection says it\u2019s imperative for the running backs to play more physically as Green Bay adjusts to injuries on its offensive line.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes you\u2019re going to have to break them tackles and you\u2019re going to have to keep your feet running,\u201d Jacobs said Tuesday. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to give guys the energy and the juice to feel like you\u2019re carrying it. It could be a bad play. You got a pile and you push the pile or whatever. That\u2019s stuff that gets guys energized and ready to go play.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Jacobs rushed for 36 yards on 11 carries and caught five passes for 55 yards in a 20-17 loss at Detroit that marked his first game since pleading no contest last month to misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property stemming from a May altercation with his then-girlfriend.<\/p>\n
With the Packers driving for a potential go-ahead score on Sunday, Jacobs couldn\u2019t hang on to a pass in the end zone with the score tied and about 3 1\/2 minutes left.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt like I beat him so early (that) when I saw the ball, I kind of tried to slow down for the ball, but that\u2019s a play that literally hit both hands,\u201d Jacobs said. \u201cWhenever it hit any hand, for my standard, I feel like you\u2019ve got to catch it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Packers (4-3) are counting on Jacobs to boost a running game that has struggled heading into Thursday night\u2019s game against the Carolina Panthers (3-3).<\/p>\n
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Green Bay\u2019s 59.9 yards rushing per game are nearly 15 fewer than anyone else.<\/p>\n
The only other team in the past 35 seasons to average fewer than 60 yards per rushing through its first seven games was the 2019 Cincinnati Bengals with 53.1.<\/p>\n
Considering those numbers, it\u2019s remarkable that Green Bay is above .500. Since 1933, the other 13 teams that averaged below 60 yards rushing through their seven games went a combined 11-79-1 during that stretch.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we want to be the team we want to be, we\u2019ve definitely got to improve the run game,\u201d quarterback Jordan Love said.<\/p>\n
Carolina could be just what the Packers need.<\/p>\n
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The Panthers are coming a 43-13 home loss to Tampa Bay in which they allowed the Buccaneers to rush for 258 yards. Green Bay\u2019s season rushing total didn\u2019t reach 258 yards until its fifth game of the season.<\/p>\n
But an offensive line decimated by injuries could have trouble creating running room.<\/p>\n
Starting center Sean Rhyan (ankle) and backup Jacob Monk (quadriceps) got hurt against Detroit, with Monk landing on injured reserve. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said it\u2019s uncertain whether Rhyan might end up on injured reserve as well.<\/p>\n
Green Bay\u2019s center for most of the Lions game was John Williams, who had never played a single snap on offense in his two-year career before Sunday.<\/p>\n
Right guard Travis Glover has a knee issue that leaves his status uncertain for Thursday. The Packers already lost right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele to a season-ending knee injury last month.<\/p>\n
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All those offensive line injuries could make Jacobs\u2019 job tougher. He\u2019s ready to pick up the slack by gaining yards after contact.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve still got to make plays, and that\u2019s a part of it,\u201d Jacobs said. \u201cBreaking tackles, grinding out those hard yards \u2026 turning a 2-yard run into a 4-yard run. That\u2019s things that motivate the guys and also motivate the play-caller. So that\u2019s something that we\u2019ve definitely got to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
NOTES: LaFleur said LB Zaire Franklin (shin) will miss a second straight game Thursday. \u2026 WR Matthew Golden is on Green Bay\u2019s injury report with shoulder and foot issues. Although the Packers had a walk-through Tuesday and didn\u2019t practice Monday, the Packers estimated that Golden would have been held out each of those days. \u2026 LaFleur was asked about the possibility All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons could return to practice next week as he continues his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. \u201cI sure hope so,\u201d LaFleur said.<\/p>\n
AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report.<\/p>\n
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See AP\u2019s full NFL coverage here<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) is tackled by Detroit Lions safety Chuck Clark (36) during…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1038988,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2071],"tags":[146,113,2506,7,41,134749,12182,2695,1724,4129,147,3031,701,491,6,27878,27876,94819,96633,7727,22468,127240,4995],"class_list":["post-1038989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-detroit-lions","tag-detroit","tag-detroit-lions","tag-detroitlions","tag-football","tag-green-bay","tag-green-bay-packers-josh-jacobs","tag-jacob-monk","tag-john-williams","tag-jordan-love","tag-josh-jacobs","tag-lions","tag-matt-lafleur","tag-matthew-golden","tag-micah-parsons","tag-nfl","tag-package-100502-member-choice-sports-option","tag-product-30599-ap-sports-news-s-wire-only","tag-product-40804-ap-north-carolina-sports-only","tag-product-40822-ap-wisconsin-sports-only","tag-sean-rhyan","tag-travis-glover","tag-zach-bako-bewele","tag-zaire-franklin"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1038989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1038989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1038989\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1038988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1038989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1038989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1038989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}