GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs said he aggravated his knee injury early in the Packers’ loss at Denver on Sunday, but he still believes he should play Saturday at Chicago.
Jacobs scored two touchdowns in the 34-26 loss to the Broncos after being listed as questionable before the game because of his knee, which kept him from playing in a Nov. 23 win over Minnesota. Jacobs said he hurt his knee again early in the game against the Broncos.
Although the Packers only had a walk-through Tuesday, coach Matt LaFleur said Jacobs wouldn’t have participated in a full workout. Jacobs says he thinks he ought to be ready by Saturday.
“If it’s up to me, yeah, for sure I’m going to try to go,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs explained why he’s able to play through such injuries.
“For me, it’s harder to watch games than it is to play hurt,” Jacobs said. “So, for me, I’d rather try to contribute in some type of fashion, even if it’s in a limited fashion, than just sit there and watch the whole time. I’ve always had that kind of mindset.”
Jacobs had 12 carries for 73 yards — including a season-long 40-yard touchdown — and caught three passes for 19 yards against Denver. He added his first receiving TD of the season — a spectacular, contested 14-yard reception.
Both of his touchdowns came after he aggravated the injury.
“Sometimes you’ve got to talk to yourself, man,” Jacobs said. “It was hurting when I was running.”
Jacobs said the pain was apparent to his father, who noticed the look the 27-year-old had on his face while running.
As he talked about his chances of playing Saturday, Jacobs said he and LaFleur occasionally have disagreed about whether he’s healthy enough to play.
“One thing I will say about this organization is that they do truly have your best interests at heart,” Jacobs said. “Like, it’d be certain times where they’re like, ‘Man, I wouldn’t advise you to do it. You might just need to rest or whatever,’ but ultimately I think it comes down to me. It’s my decision at the end of the day. What do I feel? Do I feel like I’m going to hinder the team? Do I feel like I can add value to the team? If I feel like I can, I’m going to do everything I can to play.”
After earning his third Pro Bowl selection last season — his first with the Packers — Jacobs has rushed for 890 yards and 13 touchdowns on 218 carries this year. Jacobs and Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs are tied for second in the NFL in touchdown runs behind Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor, who has 16.
The Packers (9-4-1) could use Jacobs on Saturday. They have numerous other players dealing with injuries heading into their showdown with the NFC North-leading Bears (10-4).
Pass rusher Micah Parsons is out for the season after tearing an ACL at Denver. Offensive tackle Zach Tom (back/knee), wide receiver Christian Watson (chest/shoulder) and safety Evan Williams (knee) were among the other players who got hurt on Sunday.
“This injury list is pretty substantial, so we’ve got a lot of things to figure out over these next couple of days,” LaFleur said.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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