GREEN BAY, Wis. — To running backs, YAC means yards after contact. For Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs it means much more.
“For me, man, it’s just not giving up on a play,” he said. “It’s trying to go out there and give everything that I have and never feeling like I didn’t try.”
In his first nine games with the Packers, that much has been obvious. He ranks second in the NFL behind only the bruising Derrick Henry in rushing yards after contact, according to ESPN Research, but Henry’s Baltimore Ravens haven’t had their bye yet, so he has one more game under his belt.
But again, it’s not about the numbers.
“I wouldn’t be able to come in here and look these guys in the eye if I feel like I didn’t give everything that I had,” Jacobs said. “And I feel like I couldn’t ask that out of them if I wasn’t showing it or giving it. So that’s just the thing that I kinda think about every time I step on that field. I know my brother is straining for me to get a block or cut off a DB and things like that, so I just try to play my part.”
There are other numbers that illustrate what Jacobs has meant to the Packers and why they signed him to a four-year, $48 million contract to leave the Raiders in free agency. Among them, Jacobs is third in total rushing yards, behind Henry and the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley, and he is tied for fifth in rushes of 10-plus yards and is 10th among all backs in total yards from scrimmage. Seven of the players ahead of him have played one more game because they haven’t had their bye.
Clearly the Packers have been pleased with the addition.
“I can’t say enough great things about him,” coach Matt LaFleur said.
The Packers zeroed in on Jacobs as soon as they realized long-time starter Aaron Jones was not amenable to a pay cut. They got younger and presumably more durable moving on from Jones, who missed six games last season. Other than a minor ankle tweak at the end of the Week 8 win over the Jaguars that did not impact him the following week, Jacobs has not had any issues this season.
As productive as Jones was, his rushing style was more dizzying than destructive.
“He just brings a different dynamic,” Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark said of the 5-foot-10, 223-pound Jacobs. “He’s a true every-down back. Just playing against him and having that experience against him, the first three quarters he’s going to take those hits — he does a great job at bouncing in and out of the gaps — but that fourth quarter comes around, it’s hard to keep tackling that big dude.”
In that sense, Jacobs has channeled something Packers tight end Tucker Kraft said earlier this year. Kraft’s self-imposed rule is that he refuses to get tackled by a defensive back.
“I always try to tell myself if I get tackled, either they’re going to feel me when they tackle me, or I’m going to make them work for it,” Jacobs said. “When they shoestring tackle me and I get tackled sometimes, those are the ones I hate the most.”
Heading into Sunday’s post-bye game at the Chicago Bears (1 p.m. ET, Fox), the Packers (6-3) are third in rushing yards per game (154.8) and fourth in yards per rush (5.0). Green Bay has finished inside the top 10 in rushing twice in the past 20 seasons.
The Packers might have another running back in the mix soon. Rookie third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd is expected to be activated off injured reserve Wednesday, opening his 21-day practice window.
Jacobs has served as a mentor to Lloyd. He rides with the rookie from the stadium to practice daily and has tried to keep Lloyd’s spirits up through myriad injuries. He missed a large part of training camp due to hip and hamstring injuries. Then, after making his NFL debut in Week 2, he sustained an ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve.
“He kinda got a little down when he got hurt again,” Jacobs said. “And he’s like, ‘Man, I’m dealing with this again.’ I just told him, ‘Man, be patient. When your time comes, just let your presence be felt. You can only control what you can control.’
“He’s going to be a good running back in this league. I’m excited to see him go this week.”