According to Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur in his pre-practice press conference, running back Josh Jacobs, who was a non-participant in Wednesday’s practice with a knee injury, is unlikely to practice on Thursday. As LaFleur put it, Jacobs is “battling through it” and the team will have to see where he’s at for the final practice of the week on Friday before the team travels to Denver to take on the Broncos.
Jacobs has been dealing with bruising on his knee since the Packers’ win against
the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on November 16th. Jacobs missed Green Bay’s following game against the Minnesota Vikings before returning against the Detroit Lions in Week 13. After the Lions game, the team had a “mini bye,” coming off the Thanksgiving matchup, before their win against the Chicago Bears, another victory.
So this is the first time that Jacobs has come off game action and is expected to play in a seven-day turnaround since the injury began a month ago. The running back was the lone Packer on the 53-man roster to not participate in practice on Wednesday.
The timing of this couldn’t get much worse, as the Broncos’ defense is performing like one of the elite units in the league and only gives up 89 rushing yards per game, which is the second-best mark in the league.
If Jacobs is out, the replacement starter will be Emanuel Wilson, who made his first career start in the Vikings game, when he ran 28 times for 107 yards (3.8 yards per carry). Chris Brooks, the other running back on the 53-man roster, is more of a blocking back than a true running back. In all likelihood, the Packers would need to call up one of Pierre Strong Jr., a member of the practice squad, or MarShawn Lloyd, who is currently practicing with the team but is still on the injured reserve, if Jacobs can’t suit up on Sunday. For the Packers to make room for the 53-man roster addition of Lloyd, they’d need to waive a player, as their roster is currently at capacity.
