The Green Bay Packers are preparing to play a home primetime game in December with inclement weather a possibility and run defense clearly positioned as the opponent’s top weakness.
Hello, Josh Jacobs.
Jacobs and the Packers will welcome the New Orleans Saints to Lambeau Field on Monday night. It will be cold. Snow is possible. The Packers have leaned heavily on Jacobs. And the Saints have struggled to stop the run this season.
Feast time for the NFL’s third-leading rusher?
The Saints are entering Week 16 ranked 30th in the NFL in rushing success rate, 29th in rushing EPA/play, 31st in yards/carry, 30th in run defense DVOA and 31st in PFF run defense grade. Statistically speaking, this is one of the worst run defenses in football.
Jacobs has rushed 265 times for 1,147 yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s averaging 4.3 yards per carry with a success rate of 50.6 percent — middle of the pack numbers in terms of efficiency. But Jacobs ranks second among running backs in yards after contact (904), second in missed tackles forced (60) and fifth in runs of 10 or more yards (28) — highlighting his individual performance as a runner and explosive play potential.
The current forecast for Green Bay on Monday calls for a low of 24 degrees and the possibility of snow. Add in a little cold and precipitation with a tough, physical runner against a struggling run defense and Jacobs could be the driving force behind a primetime win for the Packers.
Running the football will be vital, especially against a defense that has fared well against the pass. The Saints can rush the passer — Jayden Daniels was sacked eight times last week in New Orleans. This defense has allowed only 13 touchdown passes and a passer rating of 83.0 in 2024, so the Packers must do damage on the ground to help out Jordan Love.
The Saints have allowed 100 or more rushing yards to six different players this season. It won’t be surprising if Jacobs — who has at least 100 scrimmage yards in six of the last seven games — makes it seven on Monday night at Lambeau Field.