Sophia
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Last season, the Green Bay Packers boasted one of the NFL’s most feared rushing attacks. Yet, through three games of the current season, star running back Josh Jacobs finds himself caught in a quagmire, struggling to ignite the ground game that was once a cornerstone of the offense. As the Packers prepare for a crucial Sunday night showdown against the Dallas Cowboys, the question looms large: why is their powerful run game stuck in neutral?
Jacobs’ Early Season Struggles: A Deeper Look
Josh Jacobs, fresh off a Pro Bowl debut season with the Packers, has been met with a wall of defenders in the early stages of this campaign. He’s tied for second in the NFL with 58 carries but ranks a disappointing 15th with just 180 rushing yards. Even more concerning is his 3.10 yards per carry, placing him 42nd out of 49 qualifying players.
These numbers, however, don’t tell the full story of Jacobs’ effort. According to Pro Football Focus, a staggering 91.7 percent of his rushing yards have come after contact – the highest percentage among the 20 running backs with over 155 rushing yards. This statistic highlights a critical issue: Jacobs is consistently being hit before he can build momentum, averaging a mere 8.14 mph when reaching the line of scrimmage, the second-slowest in the league per Next Gen Stats.
Jacobs on the Learning Curve: “It Takes Three to Four Weeks”
Jacobs himself offers insight into the challenge of establishing a consistent run game early in an NFL season.
“I always know, I said this coming into the season, when it comes to running the ball and things like that, it always takes like three to four weeks before you really just kind of figure it out as a unit,” Jacobs explained this week.
The reason, he notes, is the inability to truly simulate game-speed collisions and full-contact reps between offensive and defensive linemen during training camp. “We don’t get so many areas [in training camp] where we’re getting tackled and getting hit and actually go 100 on 100,” Jacobs elaborated. “Even when we do good on good, you still kind of taper yourself back a little bit because it’s a teammate.” He believes the first few weeks are crucial for building up the physical resilience needed to run through multiple defenders.
The Impact on the Offense
Jacobs is more than just a running back; he’s the “engine that drives the offense,” as tight end Tucker Kraft put it. When the run game sputters, the entire offensive rhythm is thrown off. This was starkly evident against the Cleveland Browns, where the inability to establish the run led to predictable second- and third-and-long situations, leaving quarterback Jordan Love vulnerable.
“What it really comes down to is we have to play fast on our side of the football,” Kraft emphasized. “We have to show our brand. We have to get 8 going. That’s going to be another critical emphasis this week is to get Josh going.”
Despite his struggles, Jacobs remains a selfless leader. “Josh will never say (it). I’ll say to him, ‘Man, we’ve got to get you going,’ and he’ll be like, ‘The plays will come to me.’ That’s what he says. ‘Those plays will come to me.’” Kraft noted, highlighting Jacobs’ focus on team success over individual statistics.
Facing the Cowboys: A Different Challenge
The road ahead doesn’t get easier, though the challenge shifts. While the Browns boast the NFL’s top run defense, allowing a mere 2.29 yards per carry, the Cowboys present a different, albeit formidable, obstacle. Dallas, anchored by former Packers defensive tackle, ranks ninth in the league, giving up 3.74 yards per carry.
Opposing defensive coordinators, like Cleveland’s Jim Schwartz, have made stopping Jacobs a priority to neutralize Green Bay’s potent play-action passing game. This strategy isn’t unique; Jacobs has faced a “stacked box” (eight-plus defenders) on 27.6 percent of his carries this season, the 11th-highest rate in the league.
“At the end of the day, it don’t matter if a team’s going to load the box or not. We still got to find a way to win,” Jacobs asserted. “It’s like fourth-and-1, we go for it and they know it’s a running play, we still got to get the run, we still got to get the first.”
Jacobs acknowledges the need for the entire unit to “lock in on our details,” whether it’s him anticipating a safety in the box or linemen sustaining their blocks longer.
Offensive Line Instability and Execution
The challenges aren’t solely on Jacobs. The Packers’ offensive line has been a revolving door, with eight linemen playing at least 30 snaps this season and four different players seeing action at right tackle last week alone. This instability makes it difficult to build cohesion and execute consistent run blocks.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur points to a combination of factors. “Maximizing your opportunities, we just went through our run meeting and looking at some of these opps that we’ve had this year that we haven’t capitalized on, whether it’s poor aiming points, whether it’s not sustaining blocks, that we’ve got to get corrected.”
Despite the early struggles, there’s an underlying belief within the team that the run game will find its stride. Offensive Coordinator Adam Stenavich emphasizes collective execution. “I think it’s everybody just going out there and executing. I see a lot of really good play style clips of how we’re doing things the right way, but again, it’s just being consistent, eliminating those pre-snap penalties to put yourselves in favorable positions and not being behind the sticks, things like that. Once we get over the hump with that stuff, then we’ll put ourselves in better position to make plays.”
Conclusion: A Critical Juncture for the Packers’ Offense
The Packers’ ability to reignite their ground game with Josh Jacobs is paramount for their offensive success. As they head into a pivotal matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, establishing the run will not only open up play-action opportunities for Jordan Love but also alleviate pressure on an evolving offensive line. The unit believes progress is being made, and the “three to four weeks” Jacobs mentioned could signify that a breakthrough is imminent. The eyes of the NFL will be on AT&T Stadium to see if the engine of the Packers’ offense can finally shift into high gear.
