Brian Flores makes a sincere admission after watching Josh Jacobs play ahead of Packers-Vikings

One of the most obvious and impressive elements of the Green Bay Packers' offense this season has been the running game. It has created 2,209 rushing yards this season, fourth in the league, and fifth with 19 touchdowns.

So, while the Minnesota Vikings have had a solid defense throughout the year, coordinator Brian Flores has a special attention towards Packers running back Josh Jacobs.

"I think we've done a good job of tackling," Flores said. "But Josh Jacobs makes me feel like we need to talk about tackling."

The Vikings have had a 68.6 PFF tackling grade in 2024, the third best in the NFL, just behind the Detroit Lions and New England Patriots. On the other side, though, Josh Jacobs is eighth in yards after contact per attempt (3.42) amongst running backs with at least 100 carries this season. And nobody ahead of him has more carries.

In terms of numbers, the Vikings defense has the advantage. Minnesota is second in EPA and third in success rate in rushing defense, while the Packers' offense is seventh in EPA and 13th in success rate.

In the first Packers-Vikings matchup in Week 4, Green Bay barely had a chance at running the football like they would like to . The game was basically out of hand fairly early (even though the Packers got back late), which forced Matt LaFleur to lean on the pass.

Josh Jacobs had only nine attempts, but was efficient, with 51 rushing yards (5.7 average per attempt). Emanuel Wilson had eight carries for 27 yards (3.4 per attempt), though, showing how Jacobs can produce more than what the offensive line and the system give him.

Josh Jacobs' volume and effectiveness are a huge part of what the Packers have been able to do on offense. Getting that plan in action against the Vikings is a big factor, and Brian Flores knows stopping the star running back will be imperative to make everything else work.