The Green Bay Packers are getting set for their wild-card weekend matchup with the Chicago Bears, and the good news is they appear to be getting healthier.
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, the Packers had only one active roster member not practicing on January 7 — wide receiver Bo Melton, who was placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury. Returning this weekend against the Bears in the playoffs are quarterback Jordan Love and running back Josh Jacobs, both of whom were held out in Week 18 against the Minnesota Vikings.
“The Packers go into the playoffs healthy-ish. (Other than the 15 players already on IR of course),” Demovsky reported.
Getting both Love and Jacobs back is significant if the Packers want to make any kind of playoff run, not to mention winning the rubber match against Chicago on the road.
For Jacobs in particular, he has been dealing with a knee issue dating back to the Packers’ 27-20 win over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in Week 11 on November 16. Entering the game against the Bears, it marks the first time he has been off the team’s injury report since then.
Josh Jacobs Reveals Health Ahead of Wild Card Game
Despite being consistently listed on the Packers’ injury report over the last several weeks, Jacobs continued to play. He returned just 11 days later when Green Bay defeated the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football, rushing for 83 yards. He also played the following three games against the Denver Broncos, a rematch with the Bears and the Baltimore Ravens, totaling 326 yards from scrimmage during that stretch.
Speaking with reporters on January 7, Jacobs said his body is finally feeling right.
“My body coming into this game is the best I’ve felt probably in the last six weeks,” Jacobs said. “So it’s a pretty good situation to be in.”
Josh Jacobs Says Packers Are ‘Spoiled’
It has been a tumultuous few weeks for the Packers, who dealt with multiple injuries to key players down the stretch, including Jacobs. Fortunately, he appears to have come out on the other side of it healthy. However, losing several contributors late in the season played a role in Green Bay closing the regular season on a four-game losing streak, leaving the team with little momentum entering the playoffs.
In Green Bay, simply making the postseason is the expectation. Anything less is considered unacceptable. Jacobs acknowledged the organization has “been spoiled” by its previous success, which has forced him into a leadership role in keeping teammates focused on the opportunity ahead.
“You kind of get numb to the feeling of this opportunity,” Jacobs said, per WFRV’s Carson Fowler. “I reiterated to the guys, these are the moments we dreamed of our whole lives since we were little kids.
“The reason why we worked as hard as we did, sacrificed to be in these situations, to have a chance to play in the Super Bowl — a lot of people don’t even get to do it in their career. So we know this opportunity is unique and we don’t take it for granted.”
The Packers enter the playoffs as the No. 7 seed, facing a steep uphill climb if they want to make it to the Super Bowl. It begins in Chicago against their bitter NFC North rival. The question is whether it ends there.
Packers’ Josh Jacobs Provides Key Injury Update Ahead of Bears Playoff Game