In the comic strip “Peanuts”, the character Linus is famously attached to his safety blanket. It goes everywhere with him, and he can’t live without it. In this 2025 season, Packers coach Matt LaFleur is our Linus – and Josh Jacobs has become his safety blanket. 

It’s somewhat understandable. Jacobs is a top-tier talent with a nose for the end zone. His ball security is terrific. He consistently generates yards after contact, and his bruising running style wears down opponents. Further, as any good football fan knows, establishing the run is the key to unlocking the pass: get defenders into the box, mix in some play action – and presto.

But this tried-and-true formula hasn’t come easy for the Packers. A constant shuffling of the offensive line, due to injuries, has stifled the run game. Jacobs is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry, the second lowest mark of his 7-year career. None of this sputtering has swayed LaFleur. In fact, Jacobs ranks 5th in the NFL in rushing attempts, and not only that, he ranks 3rd on the Packers in both receiving targets and receptions.

Defenders of LaFleur might reasonably point out that the early season absence of Christian Watson, coupled with injuries to Jayden Reed, Tucker Kraft, and Matthew Golden, have forced the Packers into a more conservative, run-heavy approach. 

Still, LaFleur has been so reliant on Jacobs and the run that Jordan Love, the NFL’s 5th-highest paid quarterback, has often felt like an afterthought. 

That all changed last Sunday.

Playing in the swirling winds of MetLife Stadium, and facing a NY Giants defense that ranked 31st against the run, the day seemed primed for more Jacobs. And while that was certainly the early script, a Jacobs injury in the 2nd quarter forced LaFleur to change course.  

Playing through his own injury, and undeterred by several crucial drops from his pass catchers – Love was electric. He put the team on his back, making big throw after big throw. If his coach needed a reminder about what he’s capable of – last Sunday was it. 

On a related note, all the chatter of Green Bay not having a true WR1 may finally need to be put to rest. Christian Watson is him. Two of Watson’s four catches were highlight reel touchdowns, the other two were critical first downs. Yet, since coming back in week 8, Watson’s weekly targets have been: 4, 4, 4, and 5. Quoting financier Mark Hanna, I would tell Coach LaFleur, “You gotta pump those numbers up. Those are rookie numbers.”

Speaking of rookies, Savion Williams continues to impress in his limited opportunities, and despite too-high early expectations from fans, so has Golden. Both need to be a bigger part of this offense going forward. Freshman orientation is over, it’s go time. 

And soon, possibly this week, Jayden Reed returns. Add in Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks and the Packers have 6 fast and dynamic pass catchers – and arguably the deepest WR room in the NFL. 

Locked and loaded, it is now time for LaFleur to change his approach, take advantage of this group, and really stress opposing defenses. 

Too much of the Packers’ 2025 pass game has involved passes thrown at or near the line of scrimmage, and even when throwing downfield, it’s been hook routes, and receivers finding soft spots in zones. Sure, it works sometimes. But it also means that our receivers are catching balls flat-footed and/or with their backs to the secondary. We have separators and speed demons. We need to hit these players in stride. Play with tempo. Open the barn door and let the horses run.  

The football world has been begging for it. ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky has repeatedly implored the Packers to “stop playing scared”. Mina Kimes urged the Packers to “Stop playing for third down”. Following the frustrating Eagles loss, CheeseheadTV’s own Aaron Nagler said that LaFleur “calls plays like he’s angry the forward pass was invented” pleading for the coach “to find Jesus” and admonishing an offensive coaching staff that “refuses to change”. 

Don’t get me wrong: I love Josh Jacobs. At one point during this season, I heard him described as the “heart and soul” of this Packers team, a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with. He’s a fearless tone-setter, irreplaceable skill-wise, an invaluable team leader, and when the Packers are playing with a lead, he becomes the team’s clock-killing boa constrictor. But last Sunday, the Packers got a glimpse of what life could be like in a Love-centric world. Let’s hope coach LaFleur was taking notes.