Jacobs' knee "ballooned up" after the last game, raising concerns for the Green Bay Packers' crucial playoff push. He remains day-to-day.
You have to imagine that Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was squirming a little bit listening to star running back Josh Jacobs talk about his knee injury on Thursday.
It's not because LaFleur is squeamish. Maybe he is or maybe he isn't. Frankly, we don't have any reporting on that.
That's not it, though. The reason he'd be squirming is that his 9-3-1 Packers are heading into a huge game against the 11-2 Denver Broncos this weekend and Jacobs is still dealing with a knee injury that he suffered on November 16 against the New York Giants.
Jacobs hasn't practiced all week as he's dealing with swelling and a limited range of motion.
"I'm still taking it day by day right now," Jacobs said Thursday, according to Zach Kruse of Packers Wire. "I feel a lot better today than I did yesterday. Same thing I've been battling with the last couple of weeks."
That's not the update that would make LaFleur green in the face. What is a bit concerning is to hear Jacobs talk about how his knee reacted last Sunday in a win against the Chicago Bears.
He told the media that he felt it getting stiff in the second half as he started dealing with swelling.
After the game, he said the knee "ballooned up", and that right there is the wording that should have the Packers a bit worried.
If the Pack wants to make a legitimate run at the Super Bowl, Jacobs is going to have to be a big part of things. He's rushed 206 times this season for 817 yards and 12 touchdowns on 4.0 yards per attempt. He's struggled to get free a bit as Green Bay's offensive line took some time to gel, but Jacobs has, without a doubt, been a key cog in this offense's success over the past two seasons, especailly in the red zone.
That's the main reason the Packers shouldn't rush him back against the Broncos, or at the very least, they should give Emanuel Wilson a few more touches. This is a big game against Denver, but the Packers have bigger fish to fry, and that's making a big run through the playoffs and hopefully all the way to the Super Bowl.
The Packers need Jacobs to be able to this in the playoffs:
There's absolutely reason to be concerned about Jacobs' knee, but ever the competitor, the star running back isn't going to hold himself out unless he really has to.
"I always plan to play. They have to come tell me I can't play for me not to play. That's where my head is, and I'm just realistically day to day right now," Jacobs said.