The Green Bay Packers will play an important NFC North game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and the Packers are hoping to have one of their best players, Josh Jacobs, on the field. Jacobs left Green Bay’s Week 11 win early, after suffering a knee injury in the second quarter. Fortunately, multiple tests confirmed there was no structural damage, and Jacobs won’t miss much time, if any. However, it’s unclear if he will return to the field as soon as Sunday.
With the Packers practing on Wednesday, fans got their first glimpse into Jacobs' status. The running back didn’t practice with the team, and head coach Matt LaFleur emphasized Green Bay is trying to get Jacobs ready to play, but he remains day to day.
Packers’ Josh Jacobs considered day to day after missing Wednesday practice
With Jacobs being characterized as day to day, he could ultimately be a game-time decision for Week 12. Considering his status as a veteran, and since he’s a running back, the team may not need to see him in practice before letting him play. That means Jacobs could miss practice all week while getting healthy enough to play, and could be inserted into the starting lineup if he reaches that point ahead of kick of.
It’s fair to assume Green Bay will be smart with their starting running back. While the team would love to have him on the field for a pivotal matchup against Minnesota, the Packers likely wouldn’t rush him back before he’s ready, or if he’s at risk of doing further damage. While this game is big for NFC North standings, it’s only Week 12 and Green Bay is already 6-3-1. That means the team can prioritize having Jacobs on the field for the rest of the season, and not just Sunday.
Whatever the case is for the running back will be revealed throughout the rest of the week. There will be a lot of eyes on the Packers' injury report throughout the week, as everyone waits to see if the running back returns to the field. Jacobs hasn’t missed a game this year, rushing for 648 yards and 11 touchdowns, but if he can’t go on Sunday, Emanuel Wilson will be the guy in the backfield.