Josh Jacobs is as tough as they come, fighting through a knee injury to play in the Green Bay Packers' heartbreaking loss on Saturday night.
Despite putting in a gutsy effort, Jacobs fumbled near the goal line while trying to put the Packers in a commanding position midway through the third quarter. Bizarrely, we didn't see him again for the remainder of the game, with Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks taking over.
Was it injury-related? The Packers never announced anything, and Matt LaFleur's postgame comments just made the entire situation more baffling.
"I don't know, to be honest with you, in regards to if he's injured or not. I was not told that," LaFleur said, via Jason B. Hirschhorn of The Leap.
Matt LaFleur didn't know whether Josh Jacobs got injured before being pulled from the game
Wait, what? So LaFleur went through the entire final quarter-and-a-half of regulation, and then overtime, without knowing why Jacobs wasn't on the field? The timing was noteworthy, as Jacobs didn't touch the ball once after fumbling in the red zone.
Everyone assumed it was injury-related, as Jacobs had battled through a knee issue, but was he benched for the fumble? It's hard to imagine LaFleur making that call in such a pivotal moment of the game, but his postgame comments have certainly raised eyebrows.
Wilson played admirably, so it almost didn't matter. He rushed 14 times for 82 yards at an impressive 5.9 yards per carry, so it's also possible the Packers felt Wilson looked more comfortable than Jacobs, who at one stage appeared to be a long shot to even play in this game.
In the end, Wilson's efforts should've been enough for a Packers win, but a monumental collapse led to a disastrous defeat that shakes up the NFC playoff picture for all the wrong reasons.
It may not have made a difference if Jacobs remained in the game.
But LaFleur has made Jacobs' exit more confusing. Did he come out due to injury? Because he fumbled? Time will tell. Hopefully, we'll find out when the two meet with reporters next week.