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Packers running back Josh Jacobs is officially questionable for the Green Bay Packers’ crucial divisional clash against the Minnesota Vikings, and his availability may come down to a game-day decision.
The veteran back exited last week’s win over the New York Giants with a knee issue and has spent the week trying to prove he can suit up in a matchup with obvious NFC North implications.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Jacobs has been limited in practice while managing a knee contusion, and his status is “truly up in the air” for Sunday’s game. The Packers will revisit his condition Sunday morning before finalizing the inactive list, leaving the Vikings staff guessing on how much of Jacobs they might see.
Pelissero also noted an important scheduling wrinkle: Green Bay goes on the road to face the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, giving the Packers two physical divisional games in five days. That short turnaround looms large in the decision-making process.
As Pelissero reported on X, Jacobs is “as tough as they come” and is pushing to play, but the organization knows there is still a long stretch of season ahead.
Jacobs has been central to the Packers’ identity through ten games, piling up 648 rushing yards, 237 receiving yards, and 11 total touchdowns. When he left the Giants game, Emanuel Wilson handled the bulk of the work and responded with 40 rushing yards and a score, but there is no doubt the drop-off in proven production is steep.
Head coach Matt LaFleur has already signaled this will be a true collective call. As he told reporters earlier in the week, Jacobs would be limited again in practice and the staff would “see what he can do” before ruling one way or the other, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
Internally, the conversation is less about pain tolerance and more about function, after Jacobs admitted the knee initially swelled to the point he could not bend it.
If the medical staff believes the risk of aggravation is high in a two-games-in-five-days stretch, Green Bay could opt to protect its leading scorer and lean on Wilson for a week, even in a rivalry spot.
For a team trying to stay on track in the NFC playoff picture, the temptation to unleash Jacobs will be strong, but so will the pressure not to sacrifice December and January for one Sunday in November.
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