The Green Bay Packers were given a reason to breathe a sigh of relief after avoiding an upset loss to the New York Giants: Running back Josh Jacobs‘ knee is structurally fine, and he won’t need to undergo surgery, per NFL Media.
After undergoing additional tests on Monday, Jacobs reportedly could play against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
Jacobs appeared to hurt his left knee when he was knocked out of bounds by Jevon Holland on a run in the first quarter. He initially stayed in before going to the sideline in obvious pain and heading inside for further evaluation.
“Any time a player, especially of his magnitude, but any time a player doesn’t finish a game, you’re always concerned about the welfare of them,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said.
Jacobs had seven carries for 40 yards before leaving. He entered the day second in the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 11, running for 608 yards in nine games.
“I don’t think you have to adjust too much,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “I think obviously it’s tough whenever people go down, but like we always say, next-man-up mentality.’
His departure came after Love exited with a left shoulder injury. Love returned later in the first half and called the soreness manageable.
“It was definitely not fun,” said Love, who returned to throw two touchdown passes. “It’s just a small injury, so we’ll re-evaluate it when we get back, look at it, see what’s going on, but yeah it’s not fun.”
With Jacobs out, Green Bay turned to Emanuel Wilson, who scored on an 11-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter. The Packers had 106 yards rushing at halftime against New York, which has the second-worst run defense in the league, and finished with 128.
“He did a great job tonight just finding ways to keep going,” Love said of Wilson. “I don’t think we changed things up much, kept going with our plan and our scheme — and he made some big-time plays.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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