Packer Central

Josh Jacobs to Tom Brady: ‘I Felt Like I Was Missing Piece’

After the Green Bay Packers beat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Fox commentator and NFL legend Tom Brady talked to Josh Jacobs and gave his thoughts on the Packers.

Bill Huber

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) celebrates with Bo Melton after scoring a touchdown against the 49ers.
Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) celebrates with Bo Melton after scoring a touchdown against the 49ers. / Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – For most of the season, the Green Bay Packers were singing the red-zone blues. However, against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Green Bay scored five touchdowns in five red-zone possessions to roll to a 38-10 victory.

What was the difference?

Josh Jacobs.

“We make a big emphasis about it,” Jacobs told Fox’s Tom Brady after winning Brady’s “LFG Player of the Game Award” on Sunday. “You know, coming in each week, we know that that’s the thing we struggle with the most. So, whenever we’re down there, I just tell them, ‘Man, give me the ball and we’ll figure it out.’”

Brady approved.

“I like that game plan,” he said.

In 16 red-zone snaps, the Packers ran the ball 13 times. Jacobs had as many touchdowns (three) as Jordan Love threw passes.

Jacobs is having a tremendous season. He ran for 106 yards against the 49ers, becoming the first back to reach the century mark against that powerhouse defense since the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor in October 2021.

Through 11 games, Jacobs is third in the NFL with 944 rushing yards. Yes, it helps that he’s also third with 228 rushing attempts, but Jacobs has been a powerhouse. Of the 50 running backs with at least 60 rushing attempts, Jacobs is tied for fourth with 3.58 yards after contact per carry, according to Pro Football Focus, and 10th with a missed-tackle rate of 19.3 percent, according to Sports Info Solutions.

“I tell the coaches all the time, man, like half of my runs I’ll be feeling like I’m close to breaking them,” he told Brady. “I enjoy playing with this offensive line, man. They strain for me, they push the pile, they do all the little things, and it’s been paying off.”

With the Raiders, Jacobs led the NFL in rushing in 2022 but had a dismal 2023 season.

When the Packers signed Jacobs and released explosive Aaron Jones in free agency this offseason, it was fair to wonder if the team made the right choice.

While Jones is having a good season in Minnesota, ranking eighth with 798 rushing yards, Jacobs is enjoying a career revival.

In 2023, Jacobs carried 233 times. He averaged 3.45 yards per carry and 2.35 yards after contact with 28 missed tackles, according to PFF.

In 2024, Jacobs has carried 202 times. He is averaging 4.67 yards per carry and a career-high 3.58 yards after contact. He’s already broken 46 tackles.

Remarkably, the NFL’s three leading rushers – the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley, the Ravens’ Derrick Henry and the Packers’ Jacobs – switched teams this offseason.

Brady asked Jacobs why he picked Green Bay.

“I like what they had going on,” Jacobs said. “I seen the culture that was built here. I seen the winning that was built here. I know the legacy of the Packers. I wanted to be a part of that, man. I felt like I was the missing piece. And I wanted to come here and put my stamp on the Packers.”

So far, so good.

The Packers are 8-3 and closing in on a playoff berth.

While the NFC North title might be out of reach, with the Lions on a nine-game winning streak, a ticket to the dance would give Green Bay a chance.

“Detroit has been unbelievable – 10-1,” Brady said. “We covered them a bunch. There’s not a lot of flaws that they’ve had. If they can stay healthy down the stretch, to me, they’re the team to beat.

“The Vikings, they’re just finding ways to win and no one’s talking about them. And then the Packers, they’ve got this formula for success. They’re winning close games. They’ve improved some of the things that they said they needed to improve on situational football. They’ve done a good job in those areas. So, it’s going to be a battle down the stretch.”

Green Bay has six games remaining. Three of those games are against teams who are projected to qualify for the playoffs, with all three games – the Lions, Seahawks and Vikings – on the road.

Green Bay has the seventh-toughest remaining schedule but Detroit has the sixth-toughest and Minnesota the fourth-toughest.

“There’s still a lot of football to be played,” Brady said. “Coach (Bill) Belichick you say used to say football season starts after Thanksgiving. They’ve won now eight games. If they want to get to the Super Bowl, they have to win at least another eight or nine to get there. So, still a ton of football to still be played.” 

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.