Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs reportedly has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings as a result of a knee injury that sidelined him for the second half of the Week 11 win over the New York Giants.
Jacobs is hoping to avoid missing any more time and said after rejoining practice Thursday that he was hoping to play in Sunday’s Week 12 matchup against the Vikings, per The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman.
Jacobs was “adamant” he would be back in time for a Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Detroit Lions in Week 13, per Schneidman.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter previously noted that that Jacobs’ knee is “structurally sound.”
Head coach Matt LaFleur said Monday Jacobs’ availability for Week 12 would hinge on “trying to get the swelling down” in his knee. Jacobs said Thursday the swelling had been reduced by 60 percent, per Schneidman.
The injury was initially described as a “contusion” by LaFleur. Jacobs told reporters Thursday he had suffered a “bone bruise and thigh contusion,” per Packers.com’s Weston Hodkiewicz.
Both LaFleur and Jacobs have criticized the MetLife Stadium playing field when speaking about the running back’s injury.
LaFleur said Monday the swelling in Jacobs’ knee was a “byproduct” of the “pretty hard surface” on the Giants’ home playing field.
“Definitely the worst. It’s always been the worst,” Jacobs said Thursday when asked how he would rank the field against other NFL venues (h/t Schneidman).
According to Hodkiewicz, determining Jacobs’ availability would hinge on his range of motion, rather than his pain level, as the week progresses.
Jacobs did not practice Wednesday before rejoining the team Thursday.
Hodkiewicz and Schneidman shared video of Jacobs participating in individual drills during the Packers’ padded sessions.
Jacobs has taken on one of the heaviest workloads in the NFL so far this season, ranking fifth in the league with 169 carries through 10 games while racking up 648 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
Having him back in time to take on the Vikings this weekend would take some pressure off Jordan Love, who also suffered an injury during the game against the Giants after hurting his non-throwing shoulder on a first-quarter hit.
After finishing the game by playing through the injury, Love has been a full participant in practice this week. Green Bay will hope both he and Jacobs are as close to full capacity as possible as the Packers (6-3-1) look to keep pace in the NFC North race with both the Chicago Bears (7-3-1) and Lions (6-4-0).
