Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs has had quite the run of bad luck this season.
The three-time Pro Bowler missed the first six games on the NFL’s Commissioner’s Exempt List. Three games after his return, he lasted just one quarter into Green Bay’s 45-27 win over the New England Patriots in Week 9 before fracturing his right ring finger.
He finished with four carries for five yards, and head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed the next day that Jacobs would need surgery.
That rules Jacobs out for Sunday’s NFC North showdown with the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. For most of the week, it also left the Packers (6-3) guessing about how long he’d be gone.
However, Green Bay just got some good news about Jacobs’ injury prognosis.
Packers’ Josh Jacobs Has Return Date in Sight
Jacobs had surgery on Friday. His timeline to return looks better than many expected, according to The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero.
“Packers RB Josh Jacobs underwent surgery on his fractured right ring finger Friday in Los Angeles with Dr. Steven Shin, the noted hand and wrist surgeon,” Pelissero reported. “Jacobs is expected to miss no more than three weeks, including the Packers’ upcoming bye, putting him in line to return Week 13 against the Saints or perhaps even Week 12 against the Rams.”
That’s a big deal for Green Bay because the bye falls in Week 11. If Jacobs makes it back for the Thanksgiving Eve game against the Los Angeles Rams, he’ll have missed only one game.
It didn’t always look that way. Earlier in the week, LaFleur wouldn’t rule out injured reserve, which would have cost Jacobs at least four games. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport also reported that the team would decide on IR on Saturday.
“Packers RB Josh Jacobs, who will have surgery later this week on his broken ring finger, could return as quickly as 2-3 weeks, sources say,” Rapoport posted on X. “Green Bay will decide Saturday if IR is necessary but it’s not guaranteed. Jacobs is out vs the Vikings before the bye.”
Jacobs tried to play through the injury against New England to no avail.
“Hopefully we can do something to allow him to go out there,” LaFleur said after the game. “But he was just having a hard time gripping the ball.”
Kaleb Johnson Gets His Shot Against the Vikings
Losing Jacobs again stings, though his return hasn’t gone smoothly either.
Jacobs has 36 carries for just 80 yards and one touchdown in his three games. He’s averaging a meager 2.2 yards per carry. Still, the Packers missed him badly early in the season. Without Jacobs, Green Bay had the NFL’s worst running game through six weeks (59.8 rushing yards per game, last in the league).
That puts the spotlight on Kaleb Johnson.
The Packers acquired the 2025 third-round pick from the Pittsburgh Steelers in late August for a 2028 sixth-round pick. Johnson was a healthy inactive for two straight games. Then he got thrown into action after Jacobs went down and gave Green Bay its best rushing performance of the season (14 carries, 68 yards, one touchdown) against the Patriots.
MarShawn Lloyd, who missed Week 9 with a knee injury, didn’t get a game status on Friday’s final injury report. Chris Brooks (ankle) is questionable.
The Packers can’t afford a slow day on the ground either. Every team in the NFC North has at least six wins, and Green Bay sits in last place despite its 6-3 record.
The Vikings (6-2) will be without quarterback Kyler Murray, and newly acquired Kirk Cousins will be making his first start since being acquired midweek from the Las Vegas Raiders. Minnesota won the first meeting 39-22 back in Week 1, a game Jacobs also missed.
Packers Get Major Update on Josh Jacobs’ Return Timeline Before Vikings Game