Let’s observe a moment of silence for the short-lived period in which NFL teams walked the thin ice of winning with any running back. Running backs matter again, thanks in a big way to Josh Jacobs, who piled up 106 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries on Sunday in a 38-10 win over the 49ers.
“Josh Jacobs, this guy is just a power machine,” said former Super Bowl champion Mark Schlereth Monday on Breakfast Ball. “And we don’t talk about him. Why do we not talk about him? Because of Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley. The dude is a machine and I’m telling you. He ran through the 49ers like poop through a goose. It was awesome. Running backs matter. The running game matters.”
It mattered Sunday because the 49ers (5-6) hadn’t allowed a 100-yard game to an individual opponent in 54 consecutive regular-season games, since Justin Fields on Oct. 31, 2021. But Jacobs didn’t care. All week, he was in Matt LaFleur’s ear as coaches scripted the game plan.
“I just told ’em, ‘Give me the ball,'” said Jacobs, who has 944 yards and seven touchdowns on 202 carries this season. “We went in with a great scheme. I think it’s going to be a point of emphasis in this building, was trying to be an area to grow in and be better in. So, it’s good when you know that you’ve been putting in hard work all week and it’s paying off.”
It paid off Sunday. Jacobs helped the Packers to a perfect day in the red zone – they scored touchdowns on all five possessions inside the San Francisco 20 — and became the fourth player this century to reach 800 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in each of his first six NFL seasons, joining Ezekiel Elliott, Adrian Peterson and Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson.
And it’s paid off this season. Without Jacobs, Green Bay (8-3) wouldn’t be in contention for a playoff berth while competing with Detroit (10-1) and Minnesota (9-2). In fact, according to Elias Sports Bureau, the 2024 NFC North is the first division since the league expanded to 32 teams in 2002 with three teams to win eight-or-more games through Week 12. The 2022 NFL rushing champion said his choice to sign with Green Bay as a free agent in the offseason came down to picking a team capable of winning these late-season games.
“I haven’t won a lot in my career, and that was a big thing for me when I’m making a decision,” said Jacobs, who had 91 yards and a touchdown on 19 attempts at halftime Sunday.
“Being around these guys and seeing how hungry they are, seeing how much of pros they are on a day-to-day basis and how much it means to them, man, it makes me want to play harder. It makes me want to give everything I have.”
They’ll need it this week with little time to prepare. The Packers get the surging Dolphins (5-6) as the nightcap in the NFL’s annual John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC).
San Francisco, meanwhile, has clearly missed an inactive Nick Bosa. The catalyst of their defense, Bosa left last week’s loss midway through the third quarter with hip and oblique injuries. Since he departed that game, the 49ers have been outscored 52-17 in less than six quarters. The 49ers also played without starting quarterback Brock Purdy (shoulder), who missed the first game of his NFL career due to injury.
For more information on the Packers and 49ers, visit the Green Bay and San Francisco team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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