Following a tough loss on the road in primetime to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Detroit Lions clearly have a lot of work to do ahead of their pivotal Thanksgiving matchup against the Green Bay Packers. The Lions, who are now on the outside looking in at the NFC playoff race, will be looking to get back in the win column in Week 12 against the New York Giants, which will be the first of three games in a 12-day span.
After a battle like that against the Eagles, this upcoming week’s game is the proverbial trap spot, with the Packers on the horizon. Best believe, Detroit will be keeping its eye on the Giants, but head coach Dan Campbell and his staff should watch out for what's happening with the Packers and running back Josh Jacobs, too.
Jacobs departed Sunday’s game in the first quarter against the Giants with a knee injury. He did not return to the game, and the severity of the injury was unclear. However, reports started to emerge that the veteran running back’s injury wasn’t season-ending; however, he could miss at least a week of action.
On Monday, NFL insiders Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported that the Packers RB's knee is structurally sound and doesn’t need surgery. They added that Green Bay will re-evaluate him towards the end of the week, and Jacobs hasn’t been ruled out for Sunday’s game against Minnesota.
Lions Must Monitor Packers RB Josh Jacobs' Health Before Thanksgiving
It will be interesting to see what the Packers do with Jacobs, knowing that they have the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday and then the Lions four days later on Thanksgiving. While the veteran RB doesn’t need surgery, it's unclear how healthy he’ll be to face the Vikings, and the last thing Green Bay wants is to worsen his injury and lose a key offensive cog down the stretch.
Week 12's game against the Vikings won’t have a huge impact on the NFC North race if the Packers win. If Green Bay wins sans Jacobs, it will just keep pressure on the Lions to handle business against New York.
The Vikings’ run defense hasn’t been great this season, giving up 127.0 rushing yards per game (22nd), which might make the Packers think twice about playing Jacobs. Having a healthy Jacobs on 10-11 days rest benefits Green Bay, especially if it hopes to keep pace with Detroit's offensive playmakers.
The Lions' run defense got beaten up a little bit by the Eagles on Sunday night, who ran for 148 rushing yards and a touchdown on 40 carries. Clearly, a matchup against the Jacobs-less Packers is something the Lions would rather see, even if they can beat their NFC North rivals no matter who is in the backfield.
In the first meeting between these two teams in Week 1 at Lambeau Field, Jacobs had 66 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. It wasn’t an overwhelmingly great performance, but he kept the Lions’ defense honest.
Needless to say, Lions fans will be watching to see what Jacobs’ status looks like throughout the week. His health will have an impact one way or another on the looming Thanksgiving clash, whether he plays earlier than or not.