If you're reading this, Matt LaFleur, don't do it. The devil on your shoulder is probably pushing you to revert to the run-heavy ways of yore with bell cow Josh Jacobs in the mix.
Jacobs was officially removed from the Commissioner's Exempt List on Oct. 19. He'll make his season debut in Week 7, when the Green Bay Packers face the Detroit Lions on the road.
Does Green Bay go right back to feeding Jacobs? He wasn't on their initial injury report, and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said the three-time Pro Bowler "will definitely help for sure" and "looks great." That all sounds like code for a heavy dose of ground-and-pound action.
As tempting as it might be, LaFleur needs to get out of his own way for once. Just let Love keep cooking, man, regardless of Jacobs.
Matt LaFleur must avoid temptation of force-feeding Josh Jacobs
LaFleur has typically strived for balance (and still does to some extent), almost to a fault. He can't help himself; taking a conservative approach is in his nature. A workhorse like Jacobs, who's handled at least 262 touches annually since entering the NFL in 2019, makes it way too easy to push the smashmouth football button.
The Packers' scoring unit has been most effective when going through Love. Their willingness to air it out and a more up-tempo style have paid dividends, compensating for a generally middling attack in terms of efficiency. For better or worse, it's taken the absence of their feature back to figure that out, though LaFleur can't let Jacobs' return be an amnesia.
Let's compare LaFleur's play-calling tendencies from 2021 through 2025 to the Packers' first six games of 2026:
Matt LaFleur's 2021-2025 Playcaller Stats | Matt LaFleur's 2026 Playercaller Stats, Weeks 1-6 |
|---|---|
57.8 percent pass-call rate | 67.2 percent pass-call rate |
42.2 percent run-call rate | 32.8 percent run-call rate |
0.2 percent pass rate over expected (PROE) | 7.8 percent pass rate over expected |
1.7 percent 13 personnel rate | 14.8 percent 13 personnel rate |
28.9 seconds of possession per snap | 25.4 seconds of possession per snap |
There's now proof of concept. Green Bay is sixth in explosive pass rate (11.5 percent) through their first six games of 2026. They're the only team with two 500-plus-yard wide receivers, Christian Watson and Matthew Golden, despite a league-high 20 drops. How can LaFleur see what's happened and fall back into old habits?
Not to mention, Jacobs, who turns 29 in February, may no longer be the elite RB he once was. He began to show signs of regression before missing extended time due to an off-field incident. His rushing success rate and yards per carry both declined considerably from 2024 to 2025.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? The Packers have such a good thing going, and it's because they've finally unleashed Love. Perhaps most notably, however, the Lions are the exact matchup to continue throwing the ball at a high clip.
Now is not the time for the Packers to abandon what has worked
Detroit is the textbook definition of a pass funnel. No club is giving up more through the air per game (297.4), and they're 18th in weekly rushing yards allowed (107). A high-level head coach like LaFleur knows to exploit a mismatch when he sees one — or so we hope.
While the Lions are set to get some much-needed reinforcements in the secondary, à la Pro Bowl safety Brian Branch, their cornerbacks remain suspect. They can be beaten on the boundary, especially D.J. Reed, who's surrendered the third-most receiving yards in coverage so far this year (378). It's a great spot for Golden and Watson to continue doing damage at a torrent pace.
At this point in Jacobs' career, he should be a means to enhance Love, not someone you build the plane around. Use the run to open up play-action opportunities and take deep shots to their studly pass-catching trio of Golden, Watson and tight end Tucker Kraft.
Note: Advanced metrics courtesy of Fantasy Points' data suite 2.0 ($).
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