With Josh Jacobs nursing an injury, Green Bay Packers' backup running back Emanuel Wilson may be poised to unleash his explosive style against the Denver Broncos.
This may not feel like the biggest game of the Green Bay Packers' 2025 schedule to date, but on paper, it's a pretty darn big one. Clashes against NFC opponents like the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears have felt more urgent, but Week 15's matchup on the road against the 11-2 Denver Broncos is massively important for Green Bay.
The Broncos are absolutely a Super Bowl contender in the AFC. They're playing great defense, and most impressively, they've won 10 games in a row.
Meanwhile, the Packers have made a case that they're a Super Bowl contender in the NFC. They've taken back the lead in the NFC North and they're currently the No. 2 seed in the NFC as a whole.
This is a game that could prove whether Green Bay is capable of going on the road in a playoff-like situation and coming away with a win, so it's vital that that that the Packers show up in this one and show up strong.
Beating Denver is not the end all be all, though. The Broncos are an out of conference opponent, after all, and the Packers still have games against the Bears (on the road), Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings (on the road) to close out the regular season.
This is not suggesting that the Packers hold back, but at least as it relates to running back Josh Jacobs against the Broncos, perhaps there's a way to get him some much-needed "load management" as the Packers gear up for the playoffs.
On Wednesday, Jacobs was the only player on the team who did not practice as he continues working on a knee injury that has been bugging him for a few weeks now.
Jacobs is an elite competitor, and he's not going to sit out this game if he's given the choice, but the Packers could do him a favor in this one and give his backup, Emanuel Wilson, a few more opportunities.
Wilson rushed just three times in the win over the Bears and four times in the win over the Lions on Thanksgiving.
Jacobs sat with that knee injury in the Week 12 win over the Vikings, and Wilson rushed 28 times in that one for 107 yards and two touchdowns.
The point is this: Jacobs is an elite starting running back, but Wilson is a great backup and a wonderful spot-starter when needed.
He's a tough, downhill runner who adds an element of quick-twitch explosion to the Packers' running game that can be extremely valuable as a change-up to Jacobs' more methodical, plodding style.
If it's a close game or Matt LaFleur feels that Jacobs gives the Packers the best chance to win on Sunday, than maybe they'll have to ride Jacobs and let the long-term play out the way that it does.
This is a good opportunity to dial him back a bit, though, while at the same time not losing incredible much by riding Wilson for a game. The Packers will need Jacobs as close to full strength as possible in two weekends at Chicago's Soldier Field.
As such, Wilson must play a bigger role for the Packers against Denver.