With Strong Ball-Security History, Josh Jacobs Dismisses Fumble Problem

Historically, Josh Jacobs has not had a big issue with fumbles. But with two fumbles in his first two games with the Packers, “there’s going to be a bull’s-eye on him.”

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs fumbles near the goal line against the Colts. / Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – For his career, Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs does not have a fumbling problem.

For his brief Packers career, Jacobs does have a fumbling problem that must be addressed – preferably before Sunday’s kickoff at the Tennessee Titans.

“Everybody that we play are going to be trying to attack the football now,” running backs coach Ben Sirmans said this week.

Jacobs entered the NFL in 2019. Over that time, 88 running backs have had at least 300 combined rushes and receptions. With 13 fumbles in 1,552 touches, Jacobs’ career fumble rate is one for every 119.4 touches. That’s almost exactly in the middle of the pack, with 45 running backs having higher fumble rates.

However, Jacobs has fumbled in each of his two games with the Packers. Jacobs has two fumbles in 50 touches; the Patriots’ Rhamondre Stevenson (three fumbles) and the Jets’ Breece Hall (two) are the only running backs with at least two fumbles.

Jacobs was dismissive of his early-season problem.

“It’s just fundamentals,” he said on Friday. “It’s the only way I could say it. Right from wrong, you know what to do. Pretty much it.”

Jacobs’ career high for fumbles was three, set with the Raiders in 2022, when he led the NFL with 393 touches, and matched last year, when he had 270 touches. By contrast, he had a total of five fumbles in 839 touches during his first three seasons.

“We kind of reset our fundamentals with him because he doesn’t have a huge history of putting the ball on the ground,” Sirmans said. “There’s ways that he carries the ball, even in practice, that I would say, ‘Oh, man.’

“Sometimes you give a veteran the benefit of the doubt if they don’t have a history of doing something but, after two weeks in a row, it’s something that we’ve definitely addressed. ‘This is how you’re going to have to carry the ball moving forward’ because now he’s a target now.”

Sirmans had a colorful way to describe Jacobs’ fumbles.

“I call it the cheetah effect,” he said, “because when a cheetah is running full speed and makes all sorts of turns, it uses its tail to try to stay in balance. A lot of times when you’re running like that, naturally making all these cuts, your arm and everything goes away from your body because you’re trying to stay in balance.

“So, I think that’s part of it with him because he makes such precise, drastic cuts that him swinging his arms around kind of allows him to stay in balance and be sharper with his cuts. Now, part of the training is going to be him being able to do those things but making sure he’s squeezing the ball, keeping his wrist up, ball tight to his body and all those things.”

Former Packers back Aaron Jones had more fumbles than Jacobs (15) in fewer touches (1,230), giving him a fumble rate of one for every 82.0 touches. Injured Packers back AJ Dillon has just three fumbles in 683 career touches, giving him an excellent rate of 227.7 touches per fumble.

The Titans no doubt have watched the film. They are tied for fifth in the league in forced fumbles through two games.

“I think a lot of guys can get loose with the ball in the open field. It’s just what do you do around contact?” coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think one of the best was LeSean McCoy. He was all over the place with the ball, but he didn’t fumble very much.

“So, I think every runner is a little bit different, every ball-carrier is a little bit different, but you’ve got to make it a priority is our thing around here because we know there’s not many things more important than the ball. So, he carries it for everybody. He understands. He’s had two fumbles in two games. There’s going to be a bull’s-eye on him and that’s just the way it is. If you put the ball on the ground, then they’re going to come after it.”

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