The Green Bay Packers are preparing to play a prime-time home game in December with the possibility of inclement weather, and defense is clearly the opponent’s biggest weakness.
Hello, Josh Jacobs.
Jacobs and the Packers will welcome the New Orleans Saints to Lambeau Field on Monday night. It’ll be chilly. Snow is possible. The Packers have leaned heavily on Jacobs. The Saints have struggled to stop that streak this season.
Time for a treat for the NFL’s third-leading rusher?
The Saints enter Week 16 ranked 30th in the NFL in rushing success rate, 29th in rushing EPA/play, 31st in yards/carry, 30th in rushing defense DVOA and 31st in rushing defense grade PFF. Statistically, this is one of the worst defenses in football.
Jacobs rushed 265 times for 1,147 yards and 13 touchdowns. He averages 4.3 yards per carry and has a 50.6 percent success rate — which is middle of the pack in terms of efficiency. However, Jacobs ranks second among running backs in yards after contact (904), second in missed tackles forced (60) and fifth in rushes of 10 or more yards (28), highlighting his individual performance as a runner and explosive play potential .
The current weather forecast for Green Bay on Monday calls for a minimum temperature of 24 degrees and a chance of snow. Add some chilly and rain to the mix, and a tough, physical running back is going up against a feeble run defense, and Jacobs could be the driving force behind a prime-time Packers win.
Ball play will be key, especially against a defense that is good at passing. The Saints may rush the passer – Jayden Daniels was sacked eight times in New Orleans last week. This defense has only allowed 13 touchdown passes and a passer rating of 83.0 in 2024, so the Packers need to do some damage on the ground to facilitate Jordan Love.
The Saints have allowed at least 100 yards to six different players this season. It won’t be a surprise if Jacobs – who has had at least 100 yards in six of the last seven games – has seven on Monday night at Lambeau Field.
