Josh Jacobs isn’t getting much help

While the attention, rightfully, is on the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line for not protecting quarterback Jordan Love against the Cleveland Browns in a five-sack performance that may go down as the worst effort by the pass protection under head coach Matt LaFleur, we shouldn’t just gloss over that the line is also struggling on the ground, too.

According to Next Gen Stats, Packers primary running back Josh Jacobs has averaged 0.0 yards before contact this year. That’s right, he’s essentially being met at the line on every single play. Because of that, 98.4 percent of his rushing yards this season have come after contact. Despite the poor run blocking, Jacobs is still top-10 in the NFL in terms of yards earned after contact (177) this year.

Only the Tennessee Titans’ Tony Pollard has more yards after contact (185) with a rushing EPA (-11.9) as low as Jacobs’ -9.3 in 2025.

Next Gen Stats also notes that because of the brick wall that Jacobs is running into, his average top speed this year on carries is 8.14 miles per hour, the second-lowest mark in the league.

The fact that Jacobs is averaging 3.1 yards per carry, which is still tied for the lowest rate among the top-10 ball-carriers in the NFL in 2025 and the second-lowest among ball-carriers in the top-25, is a testament to the yards he’s earned after defenders have already closed in on him.

He’s simply not getting much help from his blocking. Hopefully, the Packers, who have played nine different offensive line combinations through three weeks, can find something that works up front soon.