Josh Jacobs Fought a Helmet and the Helmet Won: Packers RB Facing Surgery
Packers running back Josh Jacobs needs surgery on a fractured ring finger and could land on injured reserve, leaving Green Bay's backfield in shambles.
HotTakes Editorial TeamUpdated 1 min read
Finding live odds…
Stiff-arming a piece of hard plastic designed to withstand car-crash forces is a bold strategy, and Josh Jacobs just found out the hard way that the helmet always wins.
The Green Bay Packers running back fractured his right ring finger in the first quarter of Sunday's 45-27 win over the Patriots. According to Adam Schefter and Rob Demovsky, the injury requires surgery, and head coach Matt LaFleur is not ruling out a trip to injured reserve.
"Matt LaFleur is not ruling out the possibility of placing Jacobs on injured reserve."
Getting your hand stuck in a defender's facemask is one of those fluke football moments that immediately ruins your month. Now, instead of anchoring a playoff push, Jacobs is looking at a surgical table and a potential mandatory four-game vacation.
This completely scrambles the reality of the Green Bay backfield. Rookie MarShawn Lloyd is already dealing with his own laundry list of injuries, meaning the Packers are suddenly staring down a depth chart led by Pierre Strong and Kaleb Johnson.
If you were holding Jacobs tickets for weekly rushing props or banking on Green Bay's ground game to stabilize their futures market odds, it is time to pivot. You cannot run a balanced modern NFL offense when your starting running back is in a cast and your backups are guys who usually only see heavy volume in August.
We will find out this week if Jacobs officially lands on IR. Until then, expect the Packers to either hit the free-agent panic button or ask Jordan Love to throw the ball 50 times a game just to survive.
Key stats
Key statsThe Packers defeated the Patriots 45-27 on Sunday.
Jacobs fractured his right ring finger in the first quarter after getting his hand stuck in a helmet.
Green Bay is down to Pierre Strong and Kaleb Johnson as healthy running backs due to MarShawn Lloyd's ongoing injuries.
What's next
The Packers must decide this week whether to place Jacobs on IR, which would force them to rely on Pierre Strong and Kaleb Johnson or look outside the organization for backfield help.
