Green Bay beat the Dallas Cowboys 23-13 on Sunday night, improving to 4-2 despite gaining only 57 rushing yards on 26 carries. Even against a Cowboys defense that entered the game with one of the NFL’s weakest run defenses, the Packers struggled to move the ball on the ground.
Jacobs is eligible to return next week against the Detroit Lions, and LaFleur is optimistic about what the veteran could bring. He’s not promising an immediate turnaround, though.
Matt LaFleur addressed Jacobs’ potential return after the win, expressing cautious optimism. He said, “Time will tell. But I do have a lot of confidence that he can provide a spark.” He also emphasized that Green Bay can’t continue to settle for underwhelming rushing performances.
“We’ve got to find a way to get this run game going, because it’s just too inconsistent. When you’re in second-and-long quite a bit when you’re running on first down,” LaFleur noted.
Dallas’ numbers help explain the frustration. Averaging just over two yards per carry makes life difficult for any offense, even one that has found ways to win without its top back.
Jacobs rushed for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns in 15 games last season, after posting 1,329 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns the year before. He also provides an experienced receiving option out of the backfield.
The Packers have been without him throughout 2026. Jacobs was placed on the NFL’s commissioner’s exempt list on August 30 amid a legal matter and is set to come off the list on Monday, October 19. The league announced that he’ll be eligible to play against Detroit on October 25. The personal conduct policy review is ongoing.
Eligibility doesn’t guarantee he’ll be ready for a full workload after missing six games and being unable to practice while on the exempt list.
Packers teammates have expressed high expectations for Jacobs. Cornerback Keisean Nixon said, “It’s a different team now. Think they were scared of us then? We’ll see what happens when 8 comes back and then 1 comes back.” Nixon was referring to Jacobs wearing No. 8 and Micah Parsons wearing No. 1. Parsons remains sidelined while recovering from a knee injury, with no confirmed return date.
Nixon’s confidence is understandable. The Packers are 4-2 without Jacobs, but the absence of reliable early-down gains remains a concern even during their current winning streak. The Packers’ passing game has carried them, but the imbalance has left LaFleur seeking more consistency. When first-down runs routinely put Jordan Love in long-yardage situations, even a productive passing attack has less margin for error.
Jacobs’ return won’t guarantee a fix, but the Packers could use more than occasional rushing success before facing Detroit, and LaFleur believes the veteran back is capable of providing it.
