Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs broke a finger on his right hand last Sunday in New England, didn't practice this week and eventually had surgery to repair the injury on Friday.
Jacobs will not play on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Packers officially ruled out Jacobs on the final injury report released Friday. He is expected to miss at least two games, but with the bye week coming in Week 11 and a Wednesday night game in Los Angeles in Week 12, there is optimism that Jacobs will miss only the next two games before returning.
The Packers did not place Jacobs on injured reserve on Saturday, suggesting the team believes he can return within four weeks. Had he been placed on injured reserve, Jacobs would have needed to miss at least
four games before he was eligible to return -- pushing his earliest return date to Dec. 20. In this scenario, Jacobs has a realistic chance of playing Dec. 6 against the New Orleans Saints.
Jacobs rushed four times for only five yards before exiting in the first quarter of last Sunday's win over the New England Patriots. He had trouble gripping the football and was in pain trying to catch and handle the football immediately after the injury.
With Jacobs out on Sunday, the Packers will have Kaleb Johnson, MarShawn Lloyd, Pierre Strong Jr. and Chris Brooks (who was activated off injured reserve on Saturday) as the four available running backs on the roster. Johnson rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots, but the Vikings are a heavy blitz team, so Brooks could play a leading role in pass protection.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Is Josh Jacobs playing today for the Packers?
