Packers-Eagles present debuts of Josh Jacobs and Saquon Barkley

GREEN BAY – In his debut for the Packers Friday night in Brazil, running back Josh Jacobs tries not to get too carried away.

So he plans to focus on the fundamentals and basic knowledge instead of worrying about what he needs or wants to show as the new leader of the Green Bay Packers offense.

“I just try not to let myself be the one to screw it up,” Jacobs said, downplaying the energy and emotion that went into this season-opening game against the Eagles.

“That's the most important thing for me before Game 1. I'll try to be very disciplined in my key moments and put my own spin on it when I get the chance.”

Part of that development could be Jacobs' involvement in the passing game, which has been a topic of discussion since he was signed as a free agent in March. He averaged about 40 pass catches per year in five seasons with the Raiders, but could easily surpass that in Green Bay.

For comparison, Jacobs' predecessor Aaron Jones averaged just over 50 pass catches in head coach Matt LaFleur's offense from 2019 to 2022 (before missing six games last season). But LaFleur isn't revealing his plans in advance.

“Some guys are check-down guys, some guys are creative route runners, and I think you just have to go through the process and throw some stuff at him and see how he handles it,” LaFleur said. “It's going to be an interesting year to see what he can do.”

His teammates are curious, too. Quarterback Jordan Love described Jacobs, the 2022 NFL rushing champion, as “hungry to get out there and get his first game in a Packers uniform,” while center Josh Myers described Jacobs as someone with a little something extra.

“He's one of those guys that if you give him the ball on third-and-1, you trust him to get it,” Myers said. “He just has that buddy mentality, for lack of a better word. That's true, you see it.”

The same goes for his counterpart on the Eagles, Saquon Barkley, another star running back who is moving on to a new team in 2024. Like Jacobs, Barkley has been named to the Pro Bowl twice in his career and has switched locations to join a playoff contender.

In six seasons with the Giants, Barkley faced the Packers three times and averaged over 100 yards from the faceoff line in each game. The last two have been particularly problematic for Green Bay, as his strong second half at London 2022 included the game-winning touchdown that started New York's comeback victory. Last year, he ran for 86 yards and two TDs in a Monday night win in December.

“He's just dynamic with the ball,” said former Giants teammate and new Packers safety Xavier McKinney. “He can do pretty much everything you want a running back to do. He can do everything. He's a special running back, one of a kind.”

Perhaps the biggest challenge against Barkley is bringing him down on first contact. He can break tackles with the best of them, so it's not just about slowing him down, it's about finishing the play.

“He can easily be the best running back in this league, and we know we have to keep him under control,” defensive end Preston Smith said. “We can't let him get hot, we can't let him get comfortable, we can't let him get going.”

Observers across the league are curious to see how exactly Barkley fits into Philly's offense with QB Jalen Hurts at the helm, just as they are with Jacobs behind Love. It's likely that Week 1 won't tell the whole story for the two backs, but rather just the beginning of new stories.

Whatever the case, both have to start somewhere.

“I'm just excited,” Jacobs said. “Honestly, I'm excited to see these guys work. I'm excited to see the buddy work. I'm excited to see the intensity when the game comes. When we get hit, how do we react? That's what I'm excited about.”