Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs has another rushing-touchdown streak going. Heading into Sunday night’s contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the former Alabama ball-carrier has scored two rushing touchdowns in each of the Packers’ past three games.
During the NFL’s AFC/NFC era, seven players have had a streak of at least four games with two or more rushing touchdowns. Three of the players on that list are among the NFL players who scored at least 69 rushing touchdowns in their first 96 games, with Jacobs becoming the 10th player to accomplish the feat in last week’s 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
“We want to, obviously, convert in the red zone, but it’s just a certain type of mentality,” Jacobs said. “You got to cross the finish line almost, in a sense. But it’s just a certain type of mentality that you got to have. And for me, all I see is the end zone when we get down there. Like, I really don’t see the players. Like, it could be players in front of the goal line, whatever, and I just see the end zone. So that’s just the mentality I’ve been trying to have.”
Jacobs started his two-touchdown streak after failing to score in a 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 21. That snapped a streak of 11 games (including the playoffs) in which Jacobs had run for a touchdown.
“I think that we put so much emphasis on that, like, I kind of jinxed myself on that,” Jacobs said. “I remember in warmups, they’re like, ‘Man, you need one more’ or whatever. And I was like, ‘Dang, I do need’ — I started thinking about it. And I try not to. Like I say, I try not to think about it because I feel like when you do, you overthink about it and it don’t happen, so I just try to play my game.”
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During his streaks, Jacobs said he’s been able to reach a level of play that’s almost “out of body.”
“When I know I’m in a zone is, like, when I’m in a game, I can’t see the crowd,” Jacobs said. “I can’t see the sidelines. I can’t see nothing but the field. And it’s kind of like everything else around it is kind of like them. And all I can hear is myself breathing. And that’s just kind of like when I know like, yeah, I’m in that zone. I feel free. I feel like I can do no wrong. And sometimes we call it flow state.”
Packers coach Matt LaFleur agrees that “mentality” sets Jacobs apart.
“He plays with the mentality that he’s going to find a way to get it done,” LaFleur said. “And that’s what you appreciate so much about him. But it’s not an accident. It’s no surprise to me just watching how the guy practices every day. He goes out there, and he gives maximum effort in practice. And I’m a big believer that that’s going to translate to Sundays.”
Jacobs has not been at his best physically the past two games. After Green Bay’s 27-18 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 12, he told reporters that he had thrown up during the game. Two days before the victory over Arizona, Jacobs sustained a calf injury.
“I know it was a couple of drives, maybe the third-to-the-last drive, I was kind of going in and out,” Jacobs said about last week’s game. “I’m like, ‘Nah, it’s been enough of that.’ And so I just kind of played, and, I mean, they trust me. I’m like, ‘I’m not limping out there. I’m running how I run.’ Like, I really think I could have did a lot more in that game.”
The Packers listed Jacobs as a limited participant in practice throughout the past week because of the calf injury, but the running back said he feels good.
“I didn’t feel it at all, really, since the Friday I did it,” Jacobs said. “So I be trying to get my work in, man. I’m one of them guys that I truly believe in that you got to take every step in the process, at least for me, to feel comfortable when the game comes, so I try not to miss my reps.”
The Packers and Steelers square off at 7:20 p.m. CDT Sunday at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. NBC will televise the game.
The game is in the Week 8 spotlight not because of Jacobs’ touchdown streak, but because it’s the first for quarterback Aaron Rodgers against Green Bay. The Steelers QB spent his first 18 seasons and won four NFL MVP awards with the Packers.
“It’s going to be one of them games,” Jacobs said. “It’s going to be a good game. They got a good team. Obviously, they got a Hall of Famer at quarterback and a couple on defense, so we going to see how it goes.”
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