Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs will have surgery later this week on a broken ring finger and could return in as little as two to three weeks, a report from Ian Rapoport said Wednesday.
The team will decide Saturday whether to place him on injured reserve, though that step is not guaranteed. Jacobs will miss Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings. After the Packers’ Week 11 bye, he has a chance to return.
Jacobs suffered the injury early in the first quarter of Green Bay’s 45-27 win over the New England Patriots on Nov. 8. His right ring finger got caught in the face mask of Patriots safety Craig Woodson during a stiff-arm attempt. He finished with four carries for 5 yards and did not return.
Coach Matt LaFleur said playing through the injury was not realistic.
“I don’t think he could,” LaFleur said Monday. “He tried last night. He tried to go back in, and he had no grip strength.”
LaFleur added that the recovery timeline is to be determined and that “everything’s on the table” regarding injured reserve.
In three games since returning from the commissioner’s exempt list, Jacobs has 36 carries for 80 yards and one touchdown, plus 11 receptions for 68 yards and two scores. That totals 148 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns on 47 touches. His 2.2 yards per carry is the lowest average of his eight-year career.
The 28-year-old three-time Pro Bowler missed the first six games of 2026 while on the exempt list following an offseason arrest. He later pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges related to the incident.
The Packers enter the week at 6-3. Their run game ranks last in the NFL, averaging 68.2 rushing yards per game through nine contests. The unit has struggled for most of the season even after Jacobs returned.
In Jacobs’ absence against the Patriots, Kaleb Johnson led the team with 68 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Pierre Strong added 22 yards on eight attempts. MarShawn Lloyd, dealing with a knee issue, and Chris Brooks, who has been on injured reserve, remain options for depth.
A two-to-three-week absence would allow Jacobs to potentially return for the Nov. 25 game at the Los Angeles Rams or the following week against the New Orleans Saints. An injured reserve placement would require him to miss at least four games, pushing a return further into December.
Jacobs led the Packers with 1,329 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024. He has been a consistent producer since joining Green Bay after several productive seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Packers have leaned heavily on the passing game this year while the ground attack lags. Decisions on Jacobs’ roster status will come after surgery is complete and recovery progress is clearer.
Green Bay hosts Minnesota on Sunday before the bye. The club’s ability to manage the backfield without its lead runner will be tested immediately.
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