Josh Jacobs: ‘I came here to win the Super Bowl’

Josh Jacobs ran for 84 yards on 16 carries and caught two passes for 20 yards in his first game with the Green Bay Packers. The former Alabama running back didn’t think much of his performance in Green Bay’s season-opening 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 6 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

That’s why Jacobs is eagerly anticipating the Packers’ rematch with Philadelphia in the first round of the NFC playoffs on Sunday.

“I felt like I played terrible the first time we played them,” Jacobs said, “so for me, I been looking forward to this, to seeing them again at some point. They’re a good team, man. I think for us to go in and play a good team like that and get a win would be huge for our team. I’m looking forward to it.”

Since Jacobs joined the Oakland Raiders as a first-round draft selection in 2019, only Derrick Henry has more rushing yards in the NFL. But Jacobs played in only one postseason game in five seasons with the Raiders.

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs carries the football during an NFL game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.(AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

Jacobs signed with the Packers as a free agent in March in hopes of playing for a championship team.

“This is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Jacobs said, “but I’m not just satisfied with going to the playoffs. I came here to win the Super Bowl, so for me really that’s the only thing that’s on my mind. I’m about to give everything I’ve got to this and see how it plays out.”

The Eagles earned the No. 2 seed in the NFC postseason field by winning the NFC East with a 14-3 record. Green Bay got the last playoff spot in the conference field by going 11-6 in the regular season.

The teams will square off at 3:30 p.m. CST Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. FOX will televise the game.

“I think everybody’s got to lock in on what we want to do and what we want to accomplish,” Jacobs said, “and know that one loss, you’re done, you’re going home, so the sense of urgency in everything is up. We just got to know that coming in this whole week. Everybody’s got to be willing to give 110 percent of theirselves to what we want to accomplish. …

“Everything is on the line. It’s no real do-overs. It’s no flush last week. It’s no none of that. It’s do or die. The team that normally makes the least amount of mistakes and executes when it’s time they got to make a play or whatever tends to win those games.”

Jacobs surpassed 300 rushing attempts in 2024 for the second time in his career, even though he had only six carries in Green Bay’s 24-22 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The running back was among the players who were used only lightly in the regular-season finale as the Packers pointed toward the playoffs.

“I feel great,” Jacobs said after Sunday’s game. “I got six carries today. I don’t feel like I played, for real.”

Even used sparingly, though, Jacobs extended his streak with a rushing touchdown to eight games, the longest in franchise history, as he scored on a 9-yard run.