Josh Jacobs is on pace to have another elite season for the Green Bay Packers

Michael Jordan famously played through flu-like symptoms in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals to deliver a win for the Chicago Bulls. It was a legendary performance that is often talked about when the greatest individual efforts in sports are brought up.

This wasn't quite the same stage for the Green Bay Packers and it won't be as legendary, but All-Pro running back Josh Jacobs had himself a "flu game" in Week 6 against the Cincinnati Bengals as he willed the team to a 27-18 win.

Jacobs ran 18 times for 93 yards and two touchdowns against the Bengals, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. He also caught five passes for 57 yards, averaging 11.4 yards per catch.

He was a star when the Packers' offense needed him most. This, despite the fact that he was losing his lunch before and after the game.

"Throwing up during the game, after," Jacobs explained afterward, according to the team website. "I really don't know where it came from. I just kind of woke up this morning just not feeling my best. But I told 'em, the last time that I felt that way, I had 130 (yards) and two touchdowns. So it is what it is."

Jacobs finished with 150 total yards and two touchdowns, and in the process, he once again gave the Packers the blueprint for lasting success in this 2025 season.

Much like last season, Jacobs is a workhorse running back who should touch the ball as much as possible. He can handle 20-plus carries a game, and speaking of 20, when the Packers are in the red zone, they must feed him the ball.

Because he can do things like this:

If Jacobs put up these kinds of numbers while having a "flu game", what will he look like once he's healthy, presumably against the Arizona Cardinals next weekend?

It took him a while to warm up this season, but Jacobs has clearly hit his stride for the Packers. He's running strong, seeing the gaps well, and finishing on contact like a battering ram.

In his 2022 All-Pro season with the Las Vegas Raiders, Jacobs rushed 340 times for 1,653 yards and 12 touchdowns while catching 53 passes for 400 receiving yards. 

So far this season, he's rushed 98 times for 359 yards and six touchdowns while adding 15 catches for 176 yards.

As it stands, he's on pace for 1,200 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns with 51 catches for 600 yards.

That would be an elite dual-threat workload if he can sustain it, and it sure seems like Jacobs has what it takes five games in.