Ahead of Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers announced that star running back Josh Jacobs was among the inactives. Jacobs suffered a knee injury in last week’s win over the New York Giants and was listed as a limited participant over the last two days of practice.
With Jacobs sitting out Sunday’s game, it opened the door for backup Emanuel Wilson to take over as the lead back, and he did not disappoint. Wilson ran for a career-high 107 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries in a 23-6 win over Minnesota.
If you’re a Packers fan or head coach Matt LaFleur, you loved that Wilson took advantage of this newfound opportunity and left no doubt about his role going forward.
Green Bay needed this type of performance from the former HBCU standout, and he delivered. Wilson's 107-yard effort not only damaged the Vikings’ defense but also quelled the noise and hype about MarShawn Lloyd’s return.
Emanuel Wilson's Week 12 Breakout Puts MarShawn Lloyd in Tough Bind
Over the last two weeks, there have been some murmurs about the second-year running back’s potential return, who has been on injured reserve since August. Packers fans were hoping that Lloyd would be the RB2 behind Jacobs this season after an injury-plagued rookie year in 2024.
However, that hasn’t been the case. It’s been Wilson’s job, and he’s running away with it. With Lloyd’s impending return, the idea of him coming back and being a factor for the playoff push sounded like a good idea.
But if you’re the Packers, it might actually be hard to find snaps for the former USC running back when he’s activated to the 53-man roster. Wilson has run the ball well over the last two games for an injured Jacobs, bringing toughness and physicality in between the tackles. He can be a factor as a receiver out of the backfield, as he hauled in two catches for 18 yards in Sunday’s game.
As tempting as it might be with Lloyd’s skills, LaFleur can’t take Wilson’s snaps away or throw the second-year RB into the fire. He still needs to have his 21-day practice window open and then actually get activated to the 53-man roster. By the time all of that happens, Green Bay will be in the final month of the regular season, trying to compete for a playoff spot. They don’t have the time to develop Lloyd.
Now, could you give Lloyd some, if not all of Chris Brooks’ snaps? Yes, you could. But he’s only played 22 total offensive snaps over the last games, not including Sunday. Brooks served as the RB2 behind Wilson, racking up 21 yards on eight carries and a catch for five yards. It’s not an earth-shattering stat line, but Brooks has proven to be a solid RB3 and contributor on special teams over the last two years in Green Bay.
The odds are currently stacked against Lloyd and his immediate future with the Packers this season. Therefore, we’ll see what the Pack decides to do with him, but for now, it's clear that Wilson is the No. 2.