When Josh Jacobs and Derrick Henry take the field Saturday night, they won’t just be two of the NFL’s most productive running backs - they’ll be two Alabama legends squaring off in a game with real playoff implications. And while they never shared the backfield in Tuscaloosa, their careers have long been linked by a shared standard: dominance.
Since entering the league in 2019, Jacobs has racked up 7,800 rushing yards - second only to Henry’s 10,383 over that same span. That’s not just a testament to their talent, but to their durability and consistency in a league that chews up running backs.
Now, they’ll meet for just the second time in their NFL careers when the Ravens visit the Packers on Saturday night. And while the spotlight will shine on the quarterbacks - or the lack thereof, with both Jordan Love and Lamar Jackson dealing with injuries - it’s the backfield battle that might end up stealing the show.
Bama Built
Jacobs and Henry both came out of Alabama, though their time in Tuscaloosa didn’t overlap. Henry was the workhorse on the Crimson Tide’s 2015 national championship team, winning the Heisman Trophy in the process. Jacobs arrived a year later, but the legacy Henry left behind was impossible to miss.
“He used to come back all the time to work out,” Jacobs recalled. “He’s like a legend there.
You hear all the stories - squatting 500 pounds after a game, just wild stuff. He and Julio [Jones] would come back in the summer and train with us.”
Those summer sessions were more than just workouts - they were a masterclass in what it meant to carry the Alabama standard into the NFL. Jacobs saw it firsthand.
“Julio was the biggest freak athlete I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said. “Still to this day, some of the stuff he did, I don’t know how anybody could do it.”
That kind of presence left an impression. Jacobs has tried to uphold that standard ever since.
“The only knock on me is I haven’t been back to school,” he said with a smile. “I might have to go back for a week or two next offseason just to train with those guys again.”
A Tale of Two Seasons
This season, both backs have continued to deliver - though in different ways. Henry has posted 1,253 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 251 carries, adding 150 receiving yards on 15 catches. Jacobs, despite battling a knee injury, has tallied 926 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 230 carries, along with 282 receiving yards and a receiving score.
Henry’s most recent outing was vintage King Henry: 128 yards and two touchdowns on just 18 carries in a tight loss to New England. Jacobs, on the other hand, had a tougher day in Green Bay’s overtime loss to Chicago, rushing for just 36 yards on 12 carries and losing a critical fumble near the goal line.
That fumble - and the fact that Jacobs didn’t see another carry after it - raised eyebrows. But Jacobs explained it was a combination of factors.
“I got hit on a fourth-and-1 a few plays before, and my knee started stiffening up,” he said. “It was kind of a collective decision.
Of course, I wanted to go back in. Anybody would.
But at the end of the day, we’ve got to do what’s best for the team. And [Emanuel Wilson] was playing well, so I wasn’t too worried.”
Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich made his feelings clear: “I’m never not going to want Josh Jacobs in the game ever, so if that answers your question.”
Playing Hurt, Still Producing
Jacobs has been battling that knee injury for weeks. He missed Green Bay’s win over Minnesota last month and admitted he wasn’t even a sure thing to suit up against Chicago.
“It’s still a lot of football left,” he said. “I wasn’t even 100 percent supposed to play in the game. Once I got hit on it again, I kind of knew what the day was going to be like.”
He’s been a limited participant in practice this week, but carries no injury designation heading into Saturday night’s game - a good sign for a Packers team that just clinched a playoff spot after Detroit’s loss to Minnesota.
Still, Jacobs isn’t out of the woods.
“It’s unfortunate because I just keep getting hit on it,” he said. “It’s not like I’m coming out of these games clean.
It’s like once or twice a game I get hit right on the spot. I’ve got it padded up, but football is still football.”
Emergency QB? Don’t Count Him Out
With Jordan Love out due to a concussion and Lamar Jackson questionable with a back injury, quarterback depth is suddenly a hot topic. The Packers have Malik Willis and Clayton Tune on the roster, but if things get really wild, they’ve got one more option - Josh Jacobs.
“We kind of went over it just in case,” Jacobs said. “Especially when a lot of guys started getting sick around here.”
Jacobs said he’s comfortable with the idea of stepping in under center if needed - and even a little excited about it.
“I know the schemes, especially the plays we’re going to run. Even the ability to do an RPO - the thought of that, I’m like, ‘Yeah, that would be really fun.’”
What’s at Stake
With a playoff berth secured, the Packers still have more on the line. They can still win the NFC North, but they’ll need help. Green Bay must beat both Baltimore and Minnesota, while Chicago needs to lose to San Francisco and Detroit.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CST Saturday night at Lambeau Field. The game will be televised on Peacock.
And while the quarterback headlines may dominate the pregame talk, don’t be surprised if it’s the running backs - Alabama’s finest - who end up defining the night.