5 Takeaways From Packers 30-27 Jaguars: Josh Jacobs Is Good, Actually
Jacobs silenced some critics with a starring role in Green Bay's gritty win over Jacksonville.
By markoldacres
Jordan Love is hurt again
It has been a trying season for Jordan Love, who has battled an MCL sprain and been plagued by interceptions. On Sunday he suffered another injury, this time to his groin. Love attempted to play on but eventually had to be removed from the game.
Malik Willis once again showed his immense value as a capable backup, leading the Packers to a win by taking care of the ball and eventually making a crucial throw to Jayden Reed for 51 yards to set up the game-winning field goal.
Love’s status now for next week’s showdown with the Detroit Lions now seems in doubt, with head coach Matt LaFleur telling the media he has a “high level of concern” over his quarterback’s injury.
While it has been hugely important for Willis to perform so well when needed, it would be a tall task for Green Bay to beat the juggernaut that is Detroit with a backup.
Even if Love does play, the Packers entering their first two divisional games of the year with a hobbled quarterback would be less than ideal. Love’s status will be monitored closely throughout the week to see what chance he has of facing the Lions.
Of note, Jaire Alexander is also set to get an MRI after coming down awkwardly on his knee during Jacksonville's final touchdown. One to watch this week.
Josh Jacobs is good, actually
After an article from ESPN's Bill Barnwell espousing that Josh Jacobs had so far been a underwhelming in Green Bay drew the ire of Packers fans, Jacobs proved why he has been far from a disappointment.
Jacobs ran tough all day, just like he has all season, squeezing extra yards out of each run, but he also had the splash plays to go with it. The running back ended the day with two touchdowns, one of which was an impressive, tackle-breaking 38-yard scamper.
He ended the day with 127 yards on 25 carries, averaging 5.1 yards per tote. Jacobs put the game on his back after Love left with injury and showed once again why the Packers invested in him this offseason.
LaFleur's Packers show their grit
Sunday’s game against Jacksonville appeared to represent a chance for Green Bay to show they can easily dispatch a team they are superior to, but especially after Love’s injury, it quickly turned into a game in which Green Bay simply had to find a way.
Just like they have for much of the season, they did exactly that.
The defense kept Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars offense quiet for a good chunk of the day, but when they allowed ten unanswered points to tie the game, the offense did their part to work down the field and set up a field goal, which Brandon McManus punched through with ease.
It was a gritty, gutsy win for the Packers, who once again showed they are the type of team who will fight until the clock hits triple zeroes. Like a lot of their games this season, it was not pretty, but their willingness to scrap for 60 minutes is the main reason they are 6-2, and is becoming a hallmark of LaFleur's team in 2024.
Defense keeps creating turnovers
Looking at the points total would tell you it was not a banner day for Jeff Hafley and the Packers defense, but a few key plays helped the team to squeak out a win.
Xavier McKinney continued his incredible production, grabbing a sixth interception of the season, while rookie Edgerrin Cooper, making his first start of the season, continued to make the case that he is Green Bay’s best linebacker.
He is electric as a blitzer, and came up with a massive turnover, strip-sacking Lawrence and setting the Packers offense up on the doorstep of the Jaguars end zone. Not long after, he carried a route by receiver Christian Kirk 30 yards downfield and broke up the pass.
Cooper’s performances as a rookie only drive home how the excuse-making for Quay Walker over his two-plus years in the league was just that. Both players have elite athleticism, but only one of them shows it regularly. Linebacker is an instincts position, and Cooper has them.
Devonte Wyatt returned from injury and played his part as well, smartly barging a Jaguars offensive lineman aside before diving on the fumble caused by Cooper. He will be an important part of Green Bay’s defense this season.
Tucker Kraft celebrates National Tight End day
Commentators need to reign in the amount of times they reference ‘National Tight End’ day, seemingly bringing it up every time a tight end catches a pass, but Kraft justified the attention, as he produced another strong display.
Kraft led the Packers in receiving on the day with 78 yards on three catches, including a touchdown.
Despite Fox Sports’ Jonathan Vilma’s incorrect assessment that Kraft is “filling in” for Luke Musgrave, who is apparently more of the “all-around” tight end… It is only a matter of time before Kraft gets the recognition he deserves. He is a stud.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.
__________________________
Mark Oldacres is a sports writer from Birmingham, England and a Green Bay Packers fan. You can follow him on twitter at @MarkOldacres
__________________________
Comments (38)
LambeauPlain
October 28, 2024 at 10:56 am
Two of several stars of the day were thanks to Gutey's inspired decisions...McManus and Willis.
Kraft and Jacobs are both changing the Packers offensive persona to being a tough, physical team.
The defense was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The defense was aggressive in the first half. Then Hafley abandoned pressure in the second half...but still had glaring breakdowns in pass defense. They were also again suffering from missed tackle disease. Once the Packers got the lead, the defense played prevent and it nearly prevented a victory.
Turnovers, as always, were the great equalizer. Cooper's strip sack was a game saver. I don't know where Walker will fit when healthy, but he does not fit the rookie's shoes now.
dblbogey
October 28, 2024 at 05:29 pm
Gute, like all GM's, sometimes misses, especially round 1 - but E. Cooper, Doubs, Zach Tom, Kraft, J. Reed and Evan Williams are difference makers. Add in McKinney and Willis and McManus and Gute deserves some credit. Cleveland beat the Ravens - "On any given Sunday". Packers are weak at cornerback, and have issues, but this team is finding a way to win close games - that's what good teams do. When they absolutely have to get a stop, or a score, they've got it done. Detroit will be tough, they seem to be the class of the NFL right now.
stockholder
October 28, 2024 at 11:02 am
Jordan Love hurt again-
So what did we save by signing him early?
Willis=
Everyone is praising Gute for the best trade
this year. I agree.
Josh Jacobs put this offense on his back.
He has replaced Jones as a leader!
Grit? I'm not for Grit but perseverance.
Cooper is good. But he'll never hold up inside.
He missed tackles too.
So get off walker's back.
Wyatt still has a long way to go.
(It's not the flash. But the injuries.)
Kraft is steady.
That has always worked in GB.
jannesbjornson
October 28, 2024 at 06:13 pm
He leads the D line with three sacks and he missed three games. He's the real deal to work the inside game with quicks.
Leatherhead
October 28, 2024 at 11:24 am
Oh....so THAT's what they meant when they said national tight end day. Nevermind.
I don't like the slams on Walker. He's been a good, not great, player for us. We have him under contract for another year after this. If Cooper is better, then that's all good for us.
LambeauPlain
October 28, 2024 at 11:38 am
He's the team's leading tackler and should the Packers bench that production? No, they shouldn't when he is healthy and ready to go.
My view he should be receiving pre snap instructions...and not giving them.
He's a tick slow in read and reaction as it is...making him the Green Dot play call manager is not doing him any favors. He's still thinking too much when he needs to be instantly reacting instinctively.
Hafley says he want his defense simplified so they can play fast...is Walker playing fast as the "mike"? Simply his responsibilities and let him play.
greengold
October 28, 2024 at 11:59 am
First rate point, LP. I couldn't agree more.
Quay Walker brings a lot of size, range & speed to stop plays. More focus on reactions and less on getting the D aligned correctly could help Quay Walker's efficiency. Makes a lot of sense. If he could show improvement in coverage and in getting to the QB, that would be a massive plus.
I've been super impressed with Wilson and Cooper thus far. McDuffie can bring it, has good recovery burst, which was his calling card, but seems to be limited by size in coverage and in run stop.
GregC
October 28, 2024 at 12:14 pm
To be fair, the reason Walker leads the team in tackles is that he has played the most snaps at MLB. Your leading tackler is almost always your starting MLB, even if he isn't very good. The crucial point is whether the MLB is making those tackles near the line of scrimmage or several yards downfield.
I think Walker is an okay MLB, but okay is not good enough. He is pretty good in coverage but too slow to react against runs between the tackles. I would like to see Hafley experiment with keeping Walker off the field on early downs or in short yardage situations. It may not work, as we don't appear to have an ideal MLB on the roster, but just give it a try and see if somebody steps up to the plate. At this point, it could be any of the other four linebackers, although I'm losing hope that Ty'Ron Hopper will be anything more than a special teams player this year.
egbertsouse
October 28, 2024 at 01:08 pm
Quay Walker is Blake Martinez 2.0. Lots of downfield tackles.
LambeauPlain
October 28, 2024 at 01:30 pm
That's true but his quality tackling is more important to me than quantity. The two most prolific LBs on the Pack are Walker and Cooper in terms of solo tackles, sacks and TFLs. Through 7 games, Walker has 39 solos and 13 assisted. He's getting ball carriers on the ground. Also has 1.5 sacks and 4 TFLs.
Cooper, with limited snaps until recently, is also productive with 24 solos, 14 assisted, 2.5 sacks, and 5 TFLs through 8 games.
Those two need to be on the field...best options for Nickel which they play often. I just believe they should switch roles.
3rd best is Wilson with his very limited snaps. 7 TFLs!
McDuffie also has a lot of tackles, but after 8 games, half of them are assisted. He has 1/2 sack. I expect McDuffie is going to be on the field less and less as the season progresses into the 2nd half. Solid, high effort player but he cannot match the talent of Walker & Cooper...nor the vision and break Wilson owns.
I'd like to see Hopper too. He's making a statement on STs. Guess Hafley and Campanile don't trust him yet.
LLCHESTY
October 28, 2024 at 02:23 pm
Walker has not been "pretty good" in coverage this year, he's been terrible. Wilson has been Worlds better.
LLCHESTY
October 28, 2024 at 02:19 pm
He's MLB, if he's not the leading tackler there's something wrong. His coverage has been terrible this year after being decent his 1st two years. Wilson should replace him on passing downs.
Bitternotsour
October 28, 2024 at 06:38 pm
So in your scenario, the coaches, Halfley specifically is sacrificing better play for what reason exactly. because they're dimwitted dumbasses, or they would prefer to have a little extra suckage?
Walker calls the plays because the coaches, who actually coach and know their players think he's the guy who should call the defense. Crazy, right?
Mister Chievous
October 28, 2024 at 09:28 pm
calm down. sure the coaches know best but we're here to kick it around, throw some ideas and opinions out there, and have a discussion about our Packers. that's the whole point of this forum, isn't it? no need to be a jerk.
Bitternotsour
October 30, 2024 at 10:56 am
fair enough. i guess second guessing kinda drives me nuts.
4thand10
October 28, 2024 at 07:37 pm
Im on the same page as you. There is a place for him but he is not big enough to play middle LB down in and down out but wont exactly be an RB stuffer even though the effort is there.He wont enforce the Dereck Henrys and Barklays of the NFL world.But speed for a WILL or a SAM lb… absolutely., as he can follow a TE down the seam no problem.Im not exactly giving up on Walker but he does over pursue and over commits ( frequently) but for all I know thats what he is coached to do.
Leatherhead
October 28, 2024 at 11:28 am
So you would not foresee a LB rotation that includes Cooper, Walker, McDuffie and Martin? Cooper almost always on the field, Walker/McDuffie splitting time, and
Wilson (fixed it) when we have 3 LBs on the field?
Or, you could line up Walker as the weakside linebacker, where he could blitz.
LambeauPlain
October 28, 2024 at 11:42 am
Who is Martin? You mean Wilson?
Agree Walker at "will", even "sam" makes more sense than giving him the most LB responsibility on the field as "mike".
Guam
October 28, 2024 at 11:31 am
Josh Jacobs is better than good, actually. As much as I hate to see Aaron Jones in purple, I think the Packers got the better side of that deal. Jacobs has all of the same qualities as Jones (great runner, very good pass catcher, good blocker) and one more - durability. I also think Jacobs sets a very physical tone for the Packers which is something the offense has been lacking for some time. Jacobs has been an excellent addition to the Packers.
Green Bay Shareholder
October 28, 2024 at 12:31 pm
Exactly and Jacobs was moving pretty slow at the ends of the plays yesterday as well, I think he took a beating but kept chugging away picking up very tough yards and eating clock. Very good acquisition for Gute !
jannesbjornson
October 28, 2024 at 06:15 pm
Jacobs has ALL PRO credentials, just turn him loose...
4thand10
October 28, 2024 at 07:43 pm
Big thumbs up. At the beginning of the year I was more than happy and made it known. Hes younger, faster and more durable. Rarely fumbles. Pretty much all the traits you want out of a #1 RB. I could have imagined Jacobs and Dillon punishing Defenses…. bit ill have to wait on that.
As sad as it was to see Jones go…. it was time.
Mister Chievous
October 28, 2024 at 09:34 pm
while most of what you say is true, Jacobs isn't close as a downfield receiver. i've never seen a running back better at making spectacular, contested catches like Jones and I have been watching football for 50 years. Jones does that as well as any receiver.
canadapacker
October 28, 2024 at 11:46 am
What so far everyone has been glossing over is Lafleur's lack of creativity and ability to get the offense dialed in and to execute in the Red Zone - this game simply could have been put totally out of reach in the first half simply by scoring TD's in the redzone. And I have not been too worried about INT's until this red zone INT - those can also be game changer's. Some how some where somebody needs to come up with better offensive plans to get these Red zones to work into TD's.
As far as the Lions game - agree that Love needs to sit and take the 3 weeks to be perfectly healthy - The Lions are rolling but if 10 wins gets us into the playoffs and we have 6 in the bank - time to get healthy so that from the bye week on becomes go time..
CanPackFan
October 28, 2024 at 01:03 pm
Help us Gutes! We need a good CB and DE. We have some trade capital and cap space. Even a rental player for the year? With Love on the hobble, we need a better D, now more than ever. GPG
Coldworld
October 28, 2024 at 01:16 pm
PFF is interesting on D this week. PFF is by no means gospel, but I think it reflects Wilson’s performance and emphasized how much better we are with Cooper. For the Preston detractors, he was key in the run game this week.
Per PFF, Wilson had five solo tackles and six assisted tackles while not giving up a catch in coverage over 57 total snaps. I’m starting to wonder if we should leave him there permanently and drop Walker into the McDuffie role along side Cooper. Walker has been shockingly good at Mike the last two games.
I tend to think the defensive ones highlight why we were struggling: Bullard, Nixon and Stokes. Of these, Nixon has been getting a free pass from many, but he wasn’t good, I agree with PFF on that. Please Mr Hafley, if you are going to play Stokes or Valentine, don’t make them play off coverage!
1. LB Eric Wilson: 81.1
2. LB Edgerrin Cooper: 74.3
3. CB Jaire Alexander: 72.1
4. DE Preston Smith: 70.4
5. DL Karl Brooks: 67.
1. DL TJ Slaton: 37.3
2. DB Javon Bullard: 44.5
3. CB Keisean Nixon: 46.0
4. CB Eric Stokes: 46.7
5. DL Devonte Wyatt: 55.2
Offensively, I think there was less significance. PFF really liked Morgan’s play, particularly in pass pro. That somewhat surprised me. They really didn’t like Myers’ play (44). They charged Myers with a pressure and gave him the team’s worst run-blocking grade (38.1) by a significant margin.
Stokes went off hurt on the last drive as well. Jaire is getting an MRI. Rochell is now out of elevations. Things are potentially getting thin even for me with Ballentine already out. I wasn’t on board with the need for another corner but unless Hafley can grasp that Stokes and Valentine need to play press, and unless Stokes and Ballentine are healthy, we may need help. Rochell would have to be signed to the roster to play again, and he was the third best perimeter in camp (Valentine was mostly injured).
LambeauPlain
October 28, 2024 at 01:54 pm
What are Hafley and Campanile seeing in McDuffie over Wilson? Wilson has to be the most efficient player on the entire team. Talk about exceeding expectations! Yet it seems he is remaining as the 4th option at LB.
Coldworld
October 28, 2024 at 02:12 pm
I don’t think it’s McDuffie over Wilson. It was Walker over Wilson. It’s McDuffie over Cooper. Wilson might just be playing well enough that it would be nuts to bench him though. Theres a possibility that Walker is better in the McDuffie role in tandem with Cooper (Will and Sam split by situation).
Mister Chievous
October 28, 2024 at 09:44 pm
Wilson and Cooper keep making big plays. hard to keep them off the field. will be interesting to see how it plays out moving forward. I love checking out the snap counts each week
Starrbrite
October 28, 2024 at 06:49 pm
Right on Lambeau.
Starrbrite
October 28, 2024 at 06:47 pm
I’m with you on dropping Walker next to Cooper.
Brewcity
October 28, 2024 at 01:46 pm
The defense got markedly worse after Evan Williams left the game with a hamstring. Hope he bounces back quickly!
relleum61
October 28, 2024 at 05:58 pm
I was at the game. It was really hot in the stadium, so I am not surprised the Pack suffered these types of injuries.
Cooper was great. His strip/sack was just a fantastic play. Not mentioned is that Gary had a pressure-pass block on the play before. Had Gary been a little more aware, her could have caught his deflection for an easy walk into the end zone. Still, it set the stage for the next play by Cooper.
Willis was calm and composed. His one incompletion was a drop by Doubs that was right in his hands. Had Doubs caught it, it was going to be a long gainer.
Josh Jacobs had an "almost" identical TD earlier in the game that looked like the 38 yarder later in the game. The Jags linebacker just barely caught an ankle as Jacobs cut to the outside after about an 8 yard gain. Later in the game, same play, the LB was too tired to get the ankle tackle and Jacobs was off to the races.
The 67 catch and run by Kraft was awesome to watch. The stiff arms he delivered on the Jags player were just brutal!
Willis was so calm on that big pass to Reed. Great play!
Great game! I think the crowd was 40% green and gold! "Go Pack Go" carried the day!
Starrbrite
October 28, 2024 at 06:52 pm
Great post ol friend!
I wondered about the Packer/Jags fan ratio—thanks for advising.
Starrbrite
October 28, 2024 at 06:43 pm
Yes—what the heck was Vilma speaking about? He apparently did zero prep work before his Sunday analysis. Any fair weather fan is aware of Kraft’s TE production.
Your point regarding the gritty win is excellent. Some have convinced fans that this was a lucky win—hardly!!
The Jags are a talented team that has lost some extremely close games. Packer fans should not be fooled—this was a very good win.
Go Packers!!!
Mister Chievous
October 28, 2024 at 09:03 pm
Vilma's comment was stupid. he should do his homework if he is calling a game. wyatt's play was smart. enough said.
Mister Chievous
October 28, 2024 at 09:09 pm
Jacobs is doing a great job but Aaron Jones is still better. I've never seen a running back make contested catches down field better than his. he catches like a top flight receiver. still making great catches in Minnesota.
Bitternotsour
October 29, 2024 at 12:15 am
I guess you haven't spent much time watching football. McCaffrey, Kamara, go back a bit, Edgerin James, Curt Warner yada yada yada. Aaron Jones was a nice running back with a really decent set of skills, including those of a pass catcher. He wasn't alone in that department.
You know the ultimate reason Jacobs is better than Aaron Jones, he's wearing green and gold.