Josh Jacobs Needs Finger Surgery, IR on the Table

Josh Jacobs tried to go back into Sunday’s game in New England after breaking his finger in the first quarter. He could not hold onto anything. “He tried last night,” Matt LaFleur said Monday. “He tried to go back in and he had no grip strength.” Now Jacobs needs surgery on the fracture this week, his timeline is to be determined, and LaFleur said “everything’s on the table” when asked about injured reserve.

The timing is rough for Green Bay. The Packers are 6-3 after a 45-27 win over the Patriots, and they host 6-1 Minnesota on Sunday before their Week 11 bye. A stint on IR would cost Jacobs at least four games and stretch his absence into the trip to the Rams on Thanksgiving Eve and beyond.

A Slow Start Gets Slower

Jacobs had only just come back. He missed the first six games of the season on the Commissioner Exempt List, and he had not found his footing yet. In his first two games back he ran 32 times for 75 yards and a touchdown and added two receiving scores, and his 2.2 yards per carry is by far the worst mark of his career. He had four carries for five yards on Sunday before he got hurt.

Green Bay’s run game has been the worst in the league, so this is less about losing a workhorse than about who carries the load now.

Kaleb Johnson Made His Case

The answer on Sunday was Kaleb Johnson. With Jacobs out and MarShawn Lloyd inactive with a knee injury, Johnson ran 14 times for 68 yards and a touchdown, the best game by a Packers running back this season. His 34-yard run in the second half was Green Bay’s longest of the year. “When there were lanes there, he hit it,” LaFleur said. Pierre Strong Jr. added eight carries for 22 yards.

Help could be on the way. LaFleur said there is a good chance Chris Brooks comes off injured reserve this week after returning to practice, and he is the more experienced back in pass protection, which matters against a blitz-heavy Vikings defense. LaFleur also said the Packers are not necessarily looking to trade for a running back before Tuesday’s deadline.

Smacktok pick lean: Lean higher on Kaleb Johnson rushing attempts against Minnesota. He was the lead back once Jacobs left on Sunday, Lloyd is still dealing with a knee injury, and LaFleur liked what he saw. If Brooks is activated and Lloyd is cleared by Friday, trim the lean, since the carries could split three ways.