With two games left in the regular season, the Green Bay Packers have been nothing but impressive on the offensive side of the ball. The Packers sit at 11-4 on the season, having taken losses to some of the top teams in the league while taking care of the rest. One of these teams includes the 13-2 Minnesota Vikings, who did not expect this much success coming into September. What will it take for Titletown to temporarily halt that success and attain a win at U.S. Bank Stadium this Sunday?

Packers Josh Jacobs Braces For Battle Against NFL’s Top Run Defense

Coming into Week 17, the Packers have secured a spot in the NFC Wild Card Round, but unfortunately have no chance of securing the NFC North. However, achieving a higher seed works wonders for Green Bay and avoids a potential competition against a more difficult opponent in the Philadelphia Eagles. Thus, winning football games still matters in these last two weeks.

Last Meeting

The Vikings came out on top against the Packers 31-29 in Week 4, where Green Bay’s offense experienced one of their worst performances of the year in the first half. Part of the reason Green Bay faced so many troubles was due to the Vikings front that discouraged the Packers from running the ball. In relying too heavily on the passing game, Jordan Love threw three interceptions and Green Bay had no choice but to continue to lean on passing to crawl back into the game.

Packers Josh Jacobs Against Vikings

Joh Jacobs is on track to having one of the best seasons of his career with Titletown. In 16 games, Jacobs has rushed for 1,216 yards and 13 touchdowns while scoring at least one touchdown in the last six games. He has become the focal point of this offense as 48% of plays are runs, the second-highest percentage in the league. There is no doubt that Jacobs is the key to a closer game this time around against the Vikings.

In strategizing against Minnesota, coach Matt LaFleur must take a different approach with Jacobs. In their last meeting, Jacobs averaged 5.7 yards a carry against a defense that has allowed less than 4.0 yards per carry all season, yet carried only nine times. As easy as it sounds to run the ball as much as one would like, Jacobs is most certainly up for a battle.

Vikings Run Defense vs. Packers Josh Jacobs

This season, the Vikings run defense has been all the reason to bat an eye, and the rest of the NFL knows it. Opponents against Minnesota run the ball 35.3% of their plays and score just one touchdown every two games, which are both league-lows. They have allowed just 87.1 yards per game against their opponents, including limiting Breece Hall to 23 yards in Week 5, Jonathan Taylor to 48 yards in Week 9, Tony Pollard to 15 yards in Week 11, D’Andre Swift to 30 yards in Week 12, and Kenneth Walker III to 31 yards in Week 16.

LaFleur should prioritize running their offense through Josh Jacobs as much as they can. If Green Bay can continue to run the ball more than other teams have been against Minnesota, Jacobs can give the Packers a boost early and provide the spark the team was missing in Week 4.

Main Photo: Wm. Glasheen – USA Today Sports

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