Josh Jacobs’ move from the Las Vegas Raiders to the Green Bay Packers as a free agent in March led to the second playoff game in his six NFL seasons. But the former Alabama running back wanted more than that.
“It’s almost like you’re close enough, but not quite,” Jacobs said after the Packers’ season ended in a 22-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the NFC playoffs on Sunday. “And like I said, man, this game, every game in the playoffs is going to come down to execution, and teams are all evenly matched. It’s about who’s going to execute the most, who’s going to be more physical, and when it’s time to make that play, who’s going to make the play.
“Like I said, man, I mean, for me, this (expletive) hurt, man. I put my all into this (expletive). I pour out my all into my teammates, so for me, it just felt like letting them down, and coming in with a certain type of goal and, obviously, falling short of that.”
For Jacobs, the offseason will be about finding what it will take to get Green Bay back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2010 season. The Packers have lost 11 times in the NFC playoffs since beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV on Feb. 6, 2011.
“The main thing on my mind is figure out: How do we take that step?” Jacobs said. “How do I help the guys take that step? But also, man, we got some guys that, like I said, the locker room is going to be different. We got some guys due for a contract this year. We don’t know what that’s going to look like, how that’s going to shake up. But I know I’m going to try to get some guys in, so I’m going to definitely do that. …
“My biggest message this offseason, from the coaches to the players, is: How do we take that step? We figure out how to take that step, ain’t nobody going to be able to (expletive) with us in this league.”
Green Bay’s 11-6 regular-season record included two losses apiece to the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings and one loss to both the Eagles and Chicago Bears. The defeat by the Bears came in the regular-season finale when the Packers pulled many of their key players. In only one of the setbacks did Green Bay lose by more than five points.
“We’re still the youngest team in the NFL,” Jacobs said. “I mean, these growing pains, they hurt, but we’re still the youngest team in the NFL. And every game we’ve lost, we’ve been right there. And every game, it’s nobody, it’s no team that I feel like at the end of the day really just beat us, like, imposed their will on us. It’s a lot of things that we do to ourself or a lot of plays we don’t make when it’s time, so that’s the biggest thing.
“You know, the biggest thing for me is trying to instill confidence in every guy in this room so that they feel like at any given moment they’re going to win their situation, they’re going to win their one-on-one, and they’re going to believe in themselves. And that’s the biggest thing for me.”
In 2024, Jacobs ran for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns on 301 carries and caught 36 passes for 342 yards and one touchdown. The 15 rushing touchdowns were a career high for Jacobs, and his receiving TD was the first of his career.
In the postseason loss, Jacobs ran for 81 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries and caught three passes for 40 yards. The touchdown extended Jacobs’ streak with a TD run to nine games, the longest in franchise history.
