Packers Quarterback Aims to Help Josh Jacobs Avoid NFL Record for Lack of Touchdowns

Packers Quarterback Aims to Help Josh Jacobs Avoid NFL Record for Lack of Touchdowns

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs is on the verge of an unusual NFL milestone, but his new teammate, quarterback Jordan Love, is determined to prevent it.

Jacobs, who joined the Packers this offseason after five seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, is just shy of setting a notable record. The 2022 NFL rushing champion and former Alabama standout comes to Green Bay with a career total of 5,545 rushing yards and 46 touchdowns on 1,305 carries. He’s also recorded 1,448 receiving yards on 197 catches, though he has yet to score a touchdown on a reception.

Jacobs now finds himself in the company of Gerald Riggs as one of only two NFL players with at least 147 receptions but no receiving touchdowns. Riggs, who played from 1982 to 1991 as a Pro Bowl running back for the Atlanta Falcons, amassed 8,188 rushing yards and 69 touchdowns on 1,989 carries, including a league-leading 397 rushes in 1985. Despite 201 career receptions for 1,516 yards, none resulted in touchdowns.

In a recent Bleacher Report AMA, Love was asked whether he was prepared to let Jacobs set this record for receptions without a touchdown. Love was quick to respond, “No, that’s not going to happen. I was surprised when I saw that he doesn’t have any touchdowns yet. I even sent him a message saying, ‘We’re going to get you a touchdown, for sure.’”

Love added, “The first pass to him might be a touchdown. We’re going to make sure he gets in the end zone. He’s only five receptions away from the record. We’ll definitely work on making sure he scores a touchdown.”

Jacobs, along with the rest of Green Bay’s veteran players, will report to training camp on Sunday. The Packers are set to begin their preseason with a game against the Cleveland Browns on August 10, and they’ll kick off their regular season on September 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles in Sao Paulo, Brazil.