Packers’ Josh Jacobs signed himself up for crucial kickoff return that he fumbled

Looking for a spark, the Green Bay Packers turned to Josh Jacobs on a kickoff return. That decision almost ended in disaster when he fumbled the ball. Green Bay safety Kevin Oladapo ultimately recovered the fumble, but things could’ve gotten disastrous. With the Packers losing 31-27, arguably things did.

Head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed that Jacobs volunteered for the kickoff duty. In turn, LaFleur wanted every opportunity to get the ball into his playmaker’s hands, via Ryan Wood of USA Today.

“Trying to put your best players in position to go out there and impact the game,” LaFleur said.

Jacobs ended up returning a pair of kicks, gaining 61 yards total. Averaging over 30 yards a return is surely impressive. However, LaFleur and company will ensure the running back is prepared to take on the special teams onslaught that would be headed his way.

When he wasn’t returning kicks, Jacobs turned 19 carries into 55 yards. Averaging just 2.9 yards per carry, it’s no wonder LaFleur was trying to get him more involved. Getting the ball in Jacobs’ hands will remain a priority come 2026, no matter who is coaching the team.

During the regular season, Jacobs ran 234 times for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns. He added 36 grabs for 282 yards in the air. Injuries limited the running back to just 15 games, but it was clear he is a focal point of Green Bay’s offense.

The Packers will now regroup and enter the offseason figuring out how to get better. Maybe it’s having Jacobs continue returning kicks. Or they could just hand him the ball and let Jacobs to go work.

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