Packers Get Good News on Josh Jacobs’ Knee Injury
The Green Bay Packers couldn’t afford any more injuries to offensive skill-position players, then running back Josh Jacobs went down with a knee issue against the New York Giants over the weekend.
That said, things could have ended up considerably worse for the Packers than they proved to be on Monday, November 16.
#Packers standout RB Josh Jacobs’ knee is structurally sound and no surgery is needed, per me and @TomPelissero.
He’s considered day-to-day, but could miss the game against the #Vikings.
“Packers standout RB Josh Jacobs’ knee is structurally sound and no surgery is needed, per me and Tom Pelissero,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on X. “He’s considered day-to-day, but could miss the game against the [Minnesota] Vikings.”
Packers Will Be Thin at Running Back Against Vikings Without Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd
GettyRunning back Josh Jacobs of the Green Bay Packers.
Green Bay will be in some trouble if Jacobs can’t play, considering the offense has already struggled to run the football effectively this season.
The Packers barely crack the top 20 in rushing, ranking 19th in the NFL with 113.5 yards per outing through Week 11. Jacobs hasn’t been efficient, putting up just 3.8 yards per carry, which is the second-worst mark of his seven-year professional career. He has, however, been the Packers’ top rusher by a significant margin with 648 yards and 11 TDs on the ground this season, along with 28 receptions for 237 yards through the air.
If Jacobs can’t go at Lambeau Field on Sunday, Emanuel Wilson is RB2 and will likely start. Chris Brooks, the team’s third-string rusher in his third season out of BYU, will be the backup.
MarShawn Lloyd, a third-round pick in the 2024 draft, has been on the injured reserve list (IR) all season with a hamstring injury, though the Packers recently opened his 21-day practice window and he has a chance to return to the field this week. However, given the length of his injury absence, it is unlikely that Lloyd will get in the game Sunday — assuming he is even on the active roster this weekend.
Packers Have Opened Wide Receiver Jayden Reed’s Practice Window Following Multiple In-Season Surgeries
GettyGreen Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed.
Green Bay also recently opened wide receiver Jayden Reed’s practice window, which is a big deal for an offense that lost Tucker Kraft for the season to an ACL injury on November 2.
Reed is a versatile playmaker who ended each of the past two seasons as the Packers’ leader in receiving yards. He played just two games this year before going down with injury, subsequently undergoing surgery on both his broken collarbone and his foot for a separate issue. Most analysts have projected a Week 13 return for Reed, at the earliest, which means he may not be of help against the Vikings on Sunday.
Green Bay’s offense has struggled mightily in recent weeks, producing just under 16 points per game across the last three outing. The Packers scored just 13 points in a loss to the Carolina Panthers three weeks back and only seven points in a defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks ago.
Green Bay mustered 27 points against the New York Giants on Sunday in a narrow victory that moved the Packers to 6-3-1 on the year and helped them hold onto second place in the NFC North Division.
Why Cam Newton is off base on his claims about Browns’ Kevin Stefanski
The Cleveland Browns put Shedeur Sanders into the mix Sunday, and things didn’t go well. And Cam Newton claimed Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski doesn’t want Shedeur Sanders to succeed for the team, according to Newton’s oddly worded comments on First Take, via YouTube.
Apparently, Newton debunks anything Stefanski says about Sanders.
“I do not think Kevin Stefanski wants Shedeur Sanders to succeed in Cleveland,” Newton said. “The reason being is, don’t tell me what he said, don’t tell me what he’s saying. I’m going off of actions. Let’s go off actions. The actions is, if I’m Shedeur, or I’m a Shedeur Sanders fan, I would not want him to take the field because that’s going to consistently be the display we’re going to see.”
Cam Newton takes a shot at Browns HC Kevin Stefanski
Newton took exception to the preparation level of Sanders, who was forced into action against the Ravens because of an injury to starter Dillon Gabriel.
“You plan for the what-ifs in this league,” Newton said. “You don’t know if you’re going to have your quarterback. What about Joe Burrow? So for him to not have any reps, for him to have this be his first time he’s taking team reps where individuals don’t even know your snap count or your cadence? That is like yo bro, what are we doing here?”
It’s really a confusing stance for Newton to take. Is he legitimately saying he thinks Stefanski would tank his own coaching career just to keep Sanders from having NFL success in Cleveland? That doesn’t seem to touch the surface of common sense.
If Newton wants to criticize Stefanski for not giving Sanders first-team reps, he could do it without saying, “I do not think Kevin Stefanski wants Shedeur Sanders to succeed in Cleveland.”
That statement makes no sense whatsoever for a league where wins and losses are everything for a coach’s career.
And if what Newton said had even a salt pebble of validity, why would Stefanski give Sanders first-team reps this week? Here is what Stefanski said about his starting quarterback — which
“The starter gets the vast majority, obviously, if not the entire majority,” Stefanski said. “We trust our players. Shedeur is putting in great work on the field, in the meeting room. He’ll be better w/reps that he’s getting.”
