Packers' Run Game Is in Trouble, and Josh Jacobs Must Fix It

With every team in the NFC North above .500, the Green Bay Packers hopes of a fourth consecutive playoff berth might hinge on rediscovering their missing ground game.

Through the first seven games of the season, Green Bay’s rushing output is roughly half as effective as last year. The Packers are last in the league with 419 yards, an average of 59.9 per game at a paltry 2.9 per attempt.

Last season, the Packers averaged 119.8 yards per game on the ground and 4.1 per carry en route to a 9-7-1 record and a Wild Card berth.

In 2024, Green Bay averaged 146.8 yards and 4.3 per carry; 112.1 per game and 4.3 per carry in 2023; and 124.3 per game and 4.6 per carry in 2022.

The Packers are last in the league with 27 rushing first downs with just three touchdowns.

At 4-3, the Packers also are last in the NFC North and 1-2 in the division after losing 20-17 at Detroit on Sunday when they ran for just 60 yards on 19 carries.

Josh Jacobs, who ran for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns in 15 games last season, missed the first six games while on the commissioner's exempt list due to an off-field situation.

In his first game back, Jacobs carried 11 times for 36 yards with a long run of 10 yards against the Lions, who won on a 22-yard field goal on the final play of the game. Jacobs also had five catches for 55 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown pass, but dropped an apparent touchdown toss on the Packers final possession, which resulted in a missed field goal and gave the Lions their final opportunity.

“I thought there was a lot of good things he did,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said following Sunday’s loss. “Obviously a spectacular play on the touchdown reception on the choice route. He sparked some good runs, but ultimately, we’re not running the ball consistently enough.”

MarShawn Lloyd, who appeared in just one game as a rookie in 2024, got the bulk of the carries in Jacobs’ absence, but rushed for just 142 yards at 2.6 per carry with two touchdowns with a long of 12 yards.

Kaleb Johnson added 104 yards on 28 carries, but 31 came on one run in the 17-14 win over Tampa Bay in Week 4, when he had a season-high 42 yards on eight carries.

The Packers offensive line also is banged up. Center Sean Rhyan suffered a high anke sprain in the first quarter against Detroit and is expected to miss a month. Backup center Jason Monk injured his quadriceps and was placed on injured reserve this week.

Third-string center John Williams, a seventh-round pick in 2025, played 58 snaps against the Lions and is expected to start moving forward.

Division rival Chicago leads the NFL in rushing with 154.3 yards per game and 14 touchdowns. Minnesota, which leads the NFC North as the league’s last undefeated team at 6-0, averages 119.3 on the ground. The Lions average 115.0 per game.

Then again, the 2011 New York Giants were dead last in the NFL in rushing with 89.2 yards per game en route to a 9-7 record, but went on to win the Super Bowl behind Eli Manning.

That said, the Packers need Jacobs to return to form quickly.

“Initial reactions like a step late here, step late there,” Jacobs said after his first game back. “There’s definitely some rust. Just trying to knock off that rust. I felt like once we got into the second half, I started to hit my groove a little bit better, started to feel a lot better and just try to go from there.”