PHILADELPHIA – Josh Jacobs had a few things to say to the Packers' roster before running out for Sunday's NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Pro Bowl running back's message came straight from the heart as Jacobs prepared to play in just the second postseason game of his six-year NFL career.
"If you don't feel like you got it, follow me. I'm gonna lead the way," Jacobs told the huddle. "I'm gonna give it what I have."
Jacobs sure ran like it on Sunday.
Whether it was pounding the ball on the ground (18 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown) or providing a lift in the passing game (three catches for 40 yards), Jacobs kept breathing life into the Packers when they needed it most.
It almost was enough, but Philadelphia and Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley held off Green Bay's charge in a 22-10 victory. Coming up short was a bitter pill for Jacobs to swallow after a 1,300-yard campaign in which he broke numerous team records.
"This (expletive) hurts, man. I put my all into this," Jacobs said. "I pour my all into my teammates. For me, it just felt like I'm letting them down. Coming in with a certain type of goal and obviously fallen short of that."
Reality is Jacobs is a big reason Green Bay returned to the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Signed as an unrestricted free agent in March, Jacobs wasted no time establishing himself as one of the faces of the Packers' future.
Although Green Bay got off to a slow offensive start against the Eagles on Sunday, Jacobs kept pounding away at Philadelphia's front until he finally broke a 32-yard run on the final play of the third quarter after bowling through several Eagles.
The 5-foot-10, 223-pound running back plowed his way into the end zone on the next play, cutting the Eagles' lead to 16-10 with 14 minutes, 52 seconds left to play.
"The guys who work as hard as they do like Josh Jacobs, he's a (freaking) dawg," receiver Jayden Reed said. "He's always giving everything he got."
Ultimately, it wasn't enough for the seventh-seeded Packers to pull off another upset of a No. 2 seed. Disappointed in the outcome, Jacobs said it's unlikely he watches the remainder of the playoffs.
The 26-year-old running back already has next season in mind, contemplating what he needs to do to propel Green Bay further into the playoffs.
"Main thing on my mind is figure out how do we take that step, how do I help the guys take that step," Jacobs said. "Our locker room is gonna be different. We got some guys due for a contract this year. We don't know what that's gonna look like, how that's gonna shake up. But I know I'm gonna try to get some guys here."
Tough ending to a special year: Like Jacobs, All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney felt a mixture of disappointment and optimism following Sunday's loss in Philadelphia.
"We gonna hold onto this one," McKinney said. "This is gonna be my motivation going into next year. There's things that even I need to do better from a leadership standpoint, from a playing standpoint of making sure that we all are going in the same direction as a buildup through the year."
McKinney paced Green Bay's fifth-ranked defense with eight interceptions during his first season with the team, the most by any Packers defender since Charles Woodson's nine in 2009.
In the wake of an 11-win season, the 25-year-old safety feels the pieces are in place for Green Bay to keep improving in 2025.
"I cannot wait for the future of this team and the direction that we're going," McKinney said. "It's gonna be a hell of a journey and we're gonna keep building. I'm gonna keep trying to strive to be the best player I can be for this team. I'm getting better in my leadership skills and being the best I can be for this team."
Positive sign for Myers: Center Josh Myers believes he should be OK despite being carted off the field late in the fourth quarter with a leg injury.
Right guard Sean Rhyan finished the game at center with rookie sixth-round pick Travis Glover, who had played some left guard earlier in the game in place of an injured Elgton Jenkins, filling Rhyan's spot.
"I think I got lucky. I think I dodged anything major, thank God," said Myers, who started 17 games this season at center. "My knee and ankle are totally fine. I think it's my leg, my tibia/fibula. That's better because it's definitely not broken all the way through."
Proud of the fight: In addition to Myers, the Packers lost Jenkins in the first quarter after Philadelphia linebacker Nolan Smith rammed his helmet into the two-time Pro Bowler's shoulder.
Green Bay first turned to Glover before shifting to Kadeem Telfort, a former undrafted free agent who has played sparingly this season.
Although Telfort picked up one holding call, Jacobs commended the former undrafted free agent for stepping up under the brightest lights possible.
"Telly, I told him, 'Man, I'm proud of you,'" Jacobs said. "It's not easy to man up and come play in one of the biggest games of your life, one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL and hold your own and be ready, mentally and physically, ready to play."
Reed update: Wearing a sling over his right arm, Reed confirmed that he dislocated his shoulder on his 13-yard catch in the third quarter.
"I tried to go back but I realized I physically couldn't," Reed said. "The trainers did a great job of taking me over to the X-ray area and everything."
