The Green Bay Packers lost one of their most valuable weapons in the 27-20 win over the New York Giants. Josh Jacobs had to leave the game with an apparent knee injury, and it didn't take long before the fans sounded the alarms.
Fortunately, it seems like the team dodged a bullet with their bellcow running back. Even so, there's a chance that Jacobs won't be able to suit up on Sunday for the divisional matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.
Chris Brooks Could Be the Packers' Secret Weapon
With that in mind, it's not far-fetched to think that the Packers could turn to Chris Brooks for a spark. Of course, one would expect Emmanuel Wilson to get the bulk of the work without Jacobs, but given how much Brian Flores likes to blitz, Brooks might be a better fit for this particular game.
Chris Brooks is the better option in terms of pass-protection. While he has only recorded 8 pass-blocking snaps this season (and only played double-digit total snaps in two games), he received a 72.1 pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus last season.
PFF Pass Blocking Grades:
- Chris Brooks (2025): 74.0
- Emmanuel Wilson (2025): 29.9
- Chris Brooks (2024): 72.1
- Emmanuel Wilson (2024): 60.5
Jordan Love is the 12th most-pressured quarterback in the NFL this season (per PFF), and that's been what brings out the worst in him. His 45.5 passer rating under pressure ranks #34 among the 39 quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks on the season.
The Vikings always try to keep opposing quarterbacks on their toes with Brian Flores' exotic blitz packages, and keeping Love clean needs to be priority #1.
Of course, there's still a chance that the Packers can have their starter out there. Further testing determined that Jacobs didn't suffer any structural damage on his knee, and they still haven't ruled him out of the game.
"Potentially," head coach Matt LaFleur said of Jacobs' chances of playing, per ESPN. "We'll see where it's at. It's a contusion, so it's just more or less trying to get the swelling down. And unfortunately, that's a pretty hard surface over there, and sometimes the byproduct of that."
Still, they should probably err on the side of caution with a player as valuable as Jacobs, especially looking ahead to an even tougher matchup with Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions. They shouldn't risk any further injury and trust the next man up to take care of business on Sunday, be it Emmanuel Wilson or Chris Brooks.