GREEN BAY, Wis. — For Josh Jacobs, it was not the 38-yard touchdown run (his longest of last season) against the Jaguars that stuck in his mind. Nor was it any of his career-high 15 rushing touchdowns. Or his 1,329 rushing yards, the second most of his career.
When the three-time Pro Bowl running back stepped away from his first season with the Green Bay Packers, it was the 5-yard runs that should have been 15, the 10-yarders that should have been 20, and the 20-yarders that should have gone all the way that he remembered.
“I had some plays where I felt like I kinda gave up on the play because I thought the play was over, and it really wasn’t,” Jacobs said. “Certain things like that push yourself to really think differently.”
For Xavier McKinney, he never once mentioned his All-Pro honor — becoming the first Packers defensive back to earn that since Hall of Famer Charles Woodson in 2009 — or any of his eight interceptions, which ranked second in the league. Nor was it his remarkable streak of five straight games with a pick to open the season.
“Something I’m trying to do even more than I did last year [is] just trying to help elevate everybody and set the standard,” McKinney said. “Make sure that everybody is going about this thing the right way.”
For Jacobs and McKinney, their second season with the Packers comes down to one thing.
“Only way we can really follow it up is by going farther than we did last year and being better than we were last year,” Jacobs said. “Winning the [NFC] North first off, that’s where we struggled the most.”
Perhaps it’s fitting then that the encore for Jacobs and McKinney begins against the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Lambeau Field (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS). While the Packers went 11-6 last season, they won only one of their six division games — and they were a blocked field goal away against the Bears in Week 11 from being winless in the NFC North.
While Jacobs and McKinney had each been on only one winning team (Jacobs with the 10-7 2021 Raiders and McKinney with the 9-7-1 Giants), winning 11 games was not enough. Neither has taken part in a home playoff game, and last year’s wild-card loss at the Eagles was just another postseason tease.
It’s no wonder that, like Jacobs, McKinney decided to focus on the little things that can lead to big things.
“Help the guys around me,” McKinney said when asked what he’s focused on. “I think that’s something I’m trying to do even more than I did last year, just trying to help elevate everybody and set that standard and make sure that everybody is going about this thing the right way.”
McKinney put that into practice this summer, when he missed the majority of training camp practices because of a calf injury. He reminded his teammates that no matter what they’re dealing with, the standard should be the same.
“Nobody is above it, obviously myself included, I’m not above it,” McKinney said. “So for me, I just try to continue to get better each and every day regardless of what the circumstances are, regardless of how I feel, I’m always trying to get better. And I know in order to be able to lead them, I have to lead by example. I’ve got to do the right things. I’ve got to do things day to day the right way in order for them to follow. I just keep that in my mind. And like I said, regardless of what I’m feeling that day, I know that they’re looking up to me, so I’ve got to be the one to set the right example for them.”
For this season, Packers coach Matt LaFleur said he brought back the leadership council that he had not used in recent years. He asked each position group to elect one player. The running backs selected Jacobs, and the safeties picked McKinney.
“First of all, everybody respects their body of work,” LaFleur said. “I think a lot of guys just expect the best players to be the leaders. That’s not always the case. It always starts with just leading yourself and then the ability to lead others. But if you can’t communicate, then you can’t lead others. It’s got to be more than just action.”
When it came to individual performances, both Jacobs and McKinney exceeded the expectations that came when general manager Brian Gutekunst signed them to massive free agent contracts on the same day in March of 2024.
Still, it would be a fool’s errand to simply pencil them in for 1,300-plus yards and eight interceptions again.
“I think sometimes we put a lot into the statistical nature of that stuff,” Gutekunst said. “Sometimes guys will grow and become better players, but their stats don’t always show it. It’s such a team game that way. I think both of those guys are starting to step into leadership roles that they had last year, but I think as they grow with our football team, it’ll be very important for us. Those guys staying healthy and learning how to lead our football team is going to be important, but it’ll be nice to continue the production.”
Which is why Jacobs spent his time this offseason studying his misses instead of his hits. The first thing that came to his mind was the Week 7 game against the Texans.
“I remember [one play] where I kinda was in the pile, and I came out and the dude kinda tripped me, and I thought I was about to get hit, so I was preparing for the hit instead of just running through it,” Jacobs said. “If I would’ve ran through it, it would’ve been a real big play. So when I see those plays — and they show them and they’re like ‘this a good play’ — I’m like, ‘Nah it’s not a good play.'”
He mentioned two other games where he felt he could have done more: against the Lions in Week 9 and 49ers in Week 12. In the three games he mentioned, he still totaled 277 rushing yards, and those games ranked as his third-, fourth- and seventh-highest rushing games of the season.
“You can’t lie to yourself,” Jacobs said. “At the end of the day you look at yourself in the mirror and you know. I might run for 20 yards, but I know I was supposed to [get] 30. That’s just something in your head internally that you know you should’ve been better. It’s the small things where you just push yourself a little harder.”
