Paul Bretl | 11/24/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Leading the way for the Packers ‘offense in Week 12 was Josh Jacobs and the running game, who, for at least a week anyway, helped solve Green Bay’s red zone and third-down woes.
From the jump, the gameplan was to get Jacobs heavily involved. The San Francisco defensive front was without game-wrecking defensive end Nick Bosa, along with not having defensive tackle Kevin Givens, who was inactive, as well as Javon Hargrave who is on injured reserve. In the first half alone, Jacobs would carry the ball 17 times.
“It was pretty impressive,” said Matt LaFleur of Jacobs’ performance. “I think early on that got us going. We thought we could hit them with some of the downhill stuff. Obviously they’re missing a key part to that defense, two starters actually, so, but I thought we did what we had to do.”
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In total, Jacobs would carry the ball 26 times for 106 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Emanuel Wilson would rush for another 41 yards on nine carries. When it was all said and done, the Packers rushed for 169 yards as a team.
According to Pro Football Focus’ metrics, Jacobs would force 11 missed tackles in this game, which has been his calling card all season long. Coming into Week 12, Jacobs has been one of the most difficult ball carriers to bring down, ranking fifth in average yards after contact and seventh in missed tackles force.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” said Jacobs of his performance. “I don’t really feel any type of way about it. I just try to go in there and put my stamp on the game, and I felt like I was able to do that today. So, man, it just feels good when you get a convincing win like that.”
That ability to make defenders miss is a credit to his physical running style, but also his superb vision and feel for a game that has slowed down for him over the years, making it often look like Jacobs is a step ahead of the defenders that are trying to chase him down.
“The game just slows down for them and then now they can process what’s going on,” said running backs coach Ben Sirmans about Jacobs’ vision. “And sometimes they can manipulate and that’s what he can also do, he can manipulate blocks understanding that if I’m going to manipulate it this way, it should open up something over here then that’s where I’ll take it.”
This success in the run game would play a key factor in the Packers’ ability to move the chains on third downs and to find the end zone when in the red zone–two areas that have given them fits this season. The Packers came into Sunday’s game ranked 22nd in third-down success rate and 27th inside the red zone.
However, against the 49ers, excluding the Packers final possession where they were trying to run out the clock, they converted 50 percent of their third down attempts. For some context, the Chiefs with a conversion rate of 51.8 percent is the best mark in football this season.
The impact of the run game on these figures is that moving the ball on the ground often keeps the offense ahead of the sticks and out of predictable passing situations. In short down-and-distance situations, the entire playbook is open for the offense, which can create opportunities for the passing game, and the defense is on its heels, having to defend the entire field while being prepared for both the run and the pass.
“That’s something that we’re going to have to lean on in this final stretch of the season is our run game,” said Jordan Love after the game, “and I think the O-line has been doing a great job and they will continue to do that. Obviously, it all starts up front. We always talk about it, if you can get the run game going, it’ll make life easier in the pass game. It’ll help you set more things up, too. I think that’s going to be a big piece for us to lean on in the second half of the season.”
In the red zone, meanwhile, after converting on fewer than 50 percent of their previous red zone trips coming into this game, the Packers were a perfect 5-for-5 against the 49ers. Penalties in this part of the field have played a pivotal role in the red zone blues that Green Bay had experienced up to this point, and even in this game, they had another one.
Moving the ball in the red zone via the passing game can already be an innately more difficult task, given that it is a condensed part of the field and there is less space to operate in–you can’t stretch a defense vertically from the five yard line. So when an offense is being penalized and put into those dreaded ‘get back on track’ situations where they are forced to throw the ball, the level of difficulty is turned up a few notches.
But as LaFleur has mentioned previously, success in the red area can often start with the running game, for many of the reasons already mentioned, mainly putting the offense in favorable down and distances. So not coincidentally, in a game where Jacobs was featured heavily and found success, the Packers were able to find the end zone five times, which Jacobs being the ball carrier for three of those scores.
“I think it all started with the run game,” said Love of the team’s red zone success. “I think we were making some big plays in the run game. The o-line was doing a great job giving Josh some lanes, and then just handing the ball to 8. Three touchdowns on the ground for him, big night for him. I think it all started up front. Obviously Tuck had that screen. It was great execution there. Like I said before, it just comes down to executing the plays and finding ways to get in the end zone.”
The passing game for Green Bay had its moments, but it was also a bit of a disjointed performance as well, with some drops and off-target throws apart of the equation. But as was the case a week ago in Chicago, Jacobs helped provide the offense with some stability–an element to lean on throughout the game.
For a game anyway, the situational football issues that have plagued the Packers for much of the season weren’t even on their radar this Sunday. The challenge, however, is replicating that success so that the performance we saw against San Francisco becomes more of the norm rather than the outlier.
Certainly, each week isn’t going to look the same, and with an offense that features as much talent as the Packers do, they have plenty of players to get the ball to and different ways they can exploit an opponent. With that said, the blueprint for success in those key situations was on display, and it often starts with Jacobs, and can lead to so much more.
“That opens up just a lot of things that we can get to,” said Tucker Kraft of Jacobs and the run game. “We can get to play pass, and we got shots off the runs that we have. So just opens the playbook up even more. And we don’t even have to get to those plays. We just still rely on our backs.”