“For me, man, it’s just about not giving up on a play,” he said. “It’s about going out there and giving it everything I’ve got and never feeling like I haven’t tried.”
In his first nine games with the Packers, that has been obvious. He ranks second in the NFL only to the bruised Derrick Henry in rushing yards after contact, according to ESPN Research, but Henry’s Baltimore Ravens haven’t had their bye yet, so he has one more game under his belt.
But again, it’s not about numbers.
“I couldn’t come here and look these guys in the eye if I felt like I didn’t give everything I had,” Jacobs said. “And I feel like I couldn’t ask them for that if I didn’t show it or give it. So that’s what I think about every time I step on that field. I know my brother is working hard for it.” “They ask me to block or cut a DB and stuff like that, so I try to do my part.”
There are other numbers that illustrate what Jacobs has meant to the Packers and why they signed him to a four-year, $48 million contract to leave the Raiders in free agency. Among them, Jacobs is third in total rushing yards, behind the Eagles’ Henry and Saquon Barkley, and is tied for fifth in rushing yards of 10-plus yards and is 10th among all running backs in total yards from the line. hit Seven of the players before him have played one more game because they did not have their rest.
Clearly the Packers are pleased with the addition.
“I can’t say enough about him,” coach Matt LaFleur said.
The Packers zeroed in on Jacobs as soon as they realized starter Aaron Jones wasn’t open to a pay cut. They became younger and presumably more durable after moving on from Jones, who missed six games last season. Aside from a minor tweak to his ankle late in the Week 8 win over the Jaguars that didn’t affect him the following week, Jacobs hasn’t had any issues this season.
As productive as Jones was, his racing style was more fast-paced than destructive.
“He just brings a different dynamic,” Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark said of the 5-foot-10, 223-pound Jacobs. “He’s a true running back who knows how to make every down. Just playing against him and having that experience against him, the first three quarters he’ll take those hits, he does a great job bouncing in and out of spaces, but that quarter “When the fourth quarter, it’s hard to keep facing that big guy.”
In that sense, Jacobs has channeled something Packers tight end Tucker Kraft said earlier this year. Kraft’s self-imposed rule is that he refuses to be tackled by a defensive back.
“I always try to tell myself that if I get tackled, either they’re going to feel me when they tackle me or I’m going to make them work for it,” Jacobs said. “When they tackle me cheaply and sometimes they tackle me, those are the ones I hate the most.”
Heading into Sunday’s post-halftime game against the Chicago Bears (1 p.m. ET, Fox), the Packers (6-3) are third in rushing yards per game (154.8) and fourth in rushing yards (5.0). Green Bay has finished inside the top 10 in rushing twice in the last 20 seasons.
The Packers could soon have another running back on the roster. Rookie third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd is expected to be activated from injured reserve on Wednesday, opening his 21-day practice window.
Jacobs has been a mentor to Lloyd. He travels with the rookie from the stadium to practice daily and has tried to keep Lloyd’s spirits up through countless injuries. He missed much of training camp due to hip and hamstring injuries. Then, after making his NFL debut in Week 2, he suffered an ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve.
“He got a little depressed when he got hurt again,” Jacobs said. “And he said, ‘Man, I’m dealing with this again.'” I just told him, ‘Man, be patient. When your time comes, let your presence be felt. You can only control what you can control.’
“He’s going to be a good running back in this league. I’m excited to see him go this week.”
