Josh Jacobs Had Legendary Performance Against Seahawks

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs turned in one of the greatest performances in NFL history against the Seattle Seahawks in 2022.

Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs celebrates following a 40-34 overtime victory against the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Seattle’s Lumen Field might be a house of horrors for visiting offenses.

Not for Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs.

Entering Sunday night’s Green Bay Packers-Seattle Seahawks showdown, Jacobs has played only one game at Seattle’s notorious home stadium.

And what a game it was.

On Nov. 27, 2022, while in the middle of his All-Pro season with the Las Vegas Raiders, Jacobs set career highs in rushing yards (229) and scrimmage yards (303).

On the Raiders’ second possession of overtime and on his 33rd carry and 39th touch of the game, Jacobs burst through a hole, beat the diving tackle attempt of former Packers safety Josh Jones and sprinted untouched 86 yards for the winning touchdown.

JOSH JACOBS WALKS IT OFF IN OVERTIME 🚨

(via @nfl) pic.twitter.com/R6vxERjVnM

— ESPN (@espn) November 28, 2022

According to the league, it was the second-longest overtime rushing touchdown and fourth-longest overtime scrimmage touchdown in the last 50 years.

The 303 scrimmage yards are the eighth-most in NFL history by any player and the third-most by a running back.

“I remember coming out and there’s a dude that’s known for heckling the opposing [team] right there by our tunnel,” Jacobs said on Friday, two days before a primetime matchup at the Seahawks.

“I remember I got into it with him before the game. And then once I won the game on the touchdown, I ran straight to him and I was like, ‘Thank you for that, you turned me up today.’ So, it was pretty fun.”

Jacobs is hoping for something approximating a repeat performance against a suspect defense. Seattle is 21st in rushing yards allowed per game and 25th in rushing yards allowed per carry.

Three weeks ago, Seattle had its best run-defending game of the year with 49 yards allowed against the Cardinals. In the rematch last week, though, the Cardinals ran for 121. Seattle has given up at least 120 rushing yards in seven games.

“They rely a lot on their guys that they have up front,” Jacobs said. “Their DBs are not really afraid to come up and hit. So, I think that’s a testament to how they’re coached and how they’re being trained over there. They’re very ball aware that I’ve noticed just on film. So, for me, just trying to run with the same determination that I’ve been running with.

“Try to come out there and just put my stamp on the game.”

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) stiff-arms Houston Texans safety Eric Murray (23) on October 20, 2024, at Lambeau Field. / Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jacobs has put his stamp on the season as part of a running back revolution. Once deemed an expendable position in which being young and inexpensive was a better investment than proven production, the top three running backs in terms of rushing yards – the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley, the Ravens’ Derrick Henry and the Packers’ Jacobs – changed teams this offseason.

What has allowed Jacobs to thrive after getting a whopping 1,500 touches in five seasons with the Raiders?

“His mindset (and) how he prepares,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. “A lot of guys you have to manage, and he’s a guy you have to manage in terms of taking him off the field because he wants every rep, he wants to be out there, he wants the ball.

“So, you got to sometimes be like, ‘Hey, dude, come stand by me for a couple plays,’ just to make sure he doesn’t work too hard in practice so that he’s fresh on game day. He just has a mindset – a worker, a grinder. I think it’s that mentality that’s going to allow to have as long a career as his body allows just because of that mindset that he has as a competitor.”

The 26-year-old has 266 touches in 13 games, putting him on pace for the second-most of his career.

He’ll be ready for whatever is asked of him on Sunday and beyond in hopes of helping carry the team to the playoffs for what would be the second postseason appearance of his career.

“I feel fresh, man,” Jacobs said. “It’s kind of weird. I’m not dealing with anything. My body feels good. My legs are a little heavy, but normal soreness, nothing crazy. This is probably like either top two, top three I felt in the season since I’ve been in the league.”

Jacobs went over 1,000 rushing yards last week, the fourth time in six seasons that he’s hit that number.

That’s just the starting point, though, of what Jacobs wants to accomplish this season.

Highlighted by that ridiculous day in Seattle, Jacobs led the NFL with 1,653 yards in 2022. He’s exactly 600 yards off that mark with four games to go.

“Really, that’s just the standard I feel like I hold myself to. It’s like almost like every year I come in with the mindset of I’m getting a thousand,” Jacobs said.

“However it goes, that’s just my mindset. But right now, I’m just chasing my greatest year. That’s what I’m chasing right now.”

Latest Green Bay Packers News 

Eric Stokes is thankful to be beyond a year-and-a-half of injuries.

Now, if only he could snap this insanely long streak.https://t.co/jEdhyWsc7z

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) December 14, 2024

Eric Stokes’ insane three-year streak | Packers-Seahawks final injury report | NFC North power rankings and previews | Packers-Seahawks keys to the game | Packers-Seahawks injury report | Latest on Edgerrin Cooper | Jordan Love is getting hot | Packers-Seahawks game preview | On SI NFL Power Rankings | Impact of mini-bye on winning, losing |Packers-Seahawks: TV, trends, odds | Packers-Seahawks matchups | Packers can’t ignore Jayden Reed | The good news is the Packers just won the Super Bowl