If ever there were a week for Josh Jacobs to become the focal point of the Green Bay Packers' offense, it's against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football. Pittsburgh's defense ranks No. 28 against the run and just allowed 142 yards on the ground to the Cincinnati Bengals.
And there's good news. Jacobs will play in Week 8 after the Packers removed him from their final injury report.
That's a notable difference from a week ago, when the Packers listed him as questionable and left the decision until game time. It's a good indication that Jacobs is ready for a full workload after playing on a pitch count last week.
Josh Jacobs will play on SNF in Week 8, and he could dominate vs. Steelers
Green Bay is dealing with injuries at wide receiver — Dontayvion Wicks (already ruled out) and Jayden Reed (injured reserve) won't play. Matthew Golden is dealing with a hip injury, and while the Packers activated Christian Watson from the PUP list, the best-case scenario is that he plays limited snaps.
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That could lead to a heavy workload for Jacobs on the ground and tight end Tucker Kraft through the air. Run time off the clock and keep Aaron Rodgers off the field, something teams tried to do against the Packers for so many years.
Jacobs has battled through illness and injuries in recent weeks. Matt LaFleur described his Week 6 performance as his "flu game," with Jacobs piling up 150 total yards and two touchdowns. Last week, he played with a calf issue but still turned 13 carries into 55 yards and two more scores.
The Packers' star running back didn't carry an injury designation after Friday's practice, a sign he is ready to go and poised for a bigger workload than last week.
Jacobs can turn limited touches into big-time production, but by resuming his full-time role, he may have a massive game against a struggling Steelers run defense.