For the second straight day, Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs didn't practice due to a knee injury. Even though Jacobs acknowledged he felt better on Thursday than he did on Friday, missing two practices to start the week is indicative of at least a questionable game status against the Denver Broncos.
Jacobs has been a thorn in the Broncos' side ever since he got into the NFL. He's had 950 yards from scrimmage and nine rushing touchdowns in his eight games against the Broncos, and was a huge reason why the Raiders went undefeated against the Broncos (8-0) when he played for them.
Needless to say, the Broncos wouldn't mind it if Jacobs wasn't out there for the Packers on Sunday, but his absence would pave the way for a fascinating revenge game twist for Packers backup running back Emanuel Wilson.
Packers RB Emanuel Wilson is one the Broncos let get away once upon a time
In Sean Payton's first year with the Broncos (2023), the team signed two undrafted running backs to compete during training camp: Jaleel McLaughlin and Emanuel Wilson. Wilson was literally on the team for three days before the Broncos cut him after a minicamp, and he landed on his feet with the Packers about a week later.
Interestingly enough, you can probably chalk up both McLaughlin and Wilson as scouting wins for the Denver Broncos, but Wilson succeeding with the Packers might frustrate Sean Payton a little bit.
Payton has spoken a number of times about not wanting to have guys in your minicamp and offseason program that you cut and wish you hadn't at some point down the line. Wilson carving out a role with the Packers and doing extremely well for himself might be something that keeps Payton's philosophy there thriving.
Since he signed with the Packers, Wilson has ascended to the RB2 role on their depth chart. He had over 100 yards rushing against the Vikings just a couple of weeks ago, and has over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in his career with eight total touchdowns.
McLaughlin, on the other hand, has been inactive for most of this season, although he had a prominent role with the Broncos for his first two seasons. He has over 1,200 yards from scrimmage and seven total touchdowns in his time in the league so far.
Again, you can chalk both of these guys up as successes for the scouting department, because nobody was really paying much attention to them at all.
But Wilson getting cut after being on the team for three days had to sting. Thankfully, he got another chance to show what he could do very quickly when the Packers came calling, but that brief stint in Denver was probably not a time he remembers overly fondly, given how things ended.
It will be interesting, especially if Jacobs can't go, to see if Wilson has an extra chip on his shoulder against the Broncos.