Packers’ Josh Jacobs trying to get out of the NFL record books

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs has held all of his 47 NFL career touchdowns. Most of them are at his home and others he donated to charities, but they all left the stadium in his possession.

None of these touchdowns were passed, creating a statistical oddity.

In six seasons, Jacobs caught 205 passes. That’s the most in NFL history for a player without a touchdown reception.

Jacobs caught his 200th career pass in the win against Tennessee. With the second of his four receptions against the Vikings, Jacobs made NFL history with his record 202nd non-touchdown reception. Former Atlanta and Washington running back Gerald Riggs held the record with 201.

Jacobs, looking typically jovial at his locker on Friday, took the bizarre story in stride.

“I really don’t care. If I can do it, I understand,” Jacobs said. “Every week I feel like we have a couple of them in the red zone where the defenders could get the ball. But I don’t care. If I get one, I do it; if I don’t do it. It is what it is.”

Jacobs scored his first touchdown with the Packers last week — breaking a career-long streak of four games without finding the end zone. Getting him a touchdown was a point of emphasis.

Jacobs’ score against the Rams — he ricocheted off the pile and won the run to the post — was set up by Jayden Reed’s 53-yard reception.

“That was definitely a tough catch, so I’m glad I made a play for Josh to get into the end zone,” Reed said this week. “That’s always been my mentality. Right after I realized it, I ran up to Josh and I was like, ‘Man, that was for you,’ because I told him throughout the week, like, ‘It’s your time to get in there.’ I’m glad he made that play right after.”

Now, catching a touchdown catch and taking it out of the NFL record books is a point of emphasis.

“Ah, we already talked about this. Oh yeah,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. “That’s something that’s on our minds for sure, getting rid of that record. He got the puck, so now we don’t need to prolong it beyond the time that’s already passed.”

Really? In the midst of game planning for a defense that won 5 of 6 possessions in the red zone in an upset win at San Francisco last week, are coaches considering ways to get Jacobs into the end zone through the air?

Yes, said Stenavich.

“Whenever you see that happening, you think, ‘Oh, let’s make sure we can do a play for him there.’ Hopefully we can get him a touchdown. That would be good. We got him a rushing touchdown last week. It was nice of him to make that play and make some guys miss. That was a great move.

In five games in Green Bay, Jacobs has caught eight passes for 73 yards, well behind his production with the Raiders, where he caught 54 passes in 2021, 53 passes in 2022 and 37 in 13 games last year.

He would love to have more opportunities to get out into space where he can use his power against smaller defenders.

“I think it just depends on the game,” he said. “It depends on the defenses, how they are playing us, but I like to be in open space in any situation, in any scenario.”

Jacobs’ last touchdown came on December 29, 2018, when he caught a 27-yard pass in the Orange Bowl against Kyler Murray-led Oklahoma.

It will be Jacobs and the Packers against Murray and the Cardinals on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Most receptions without touchdown catches

The all-time leaderboard, according to Stathead:

Josh Jacobs (2019-present): 205 receptions without a touchdown.

Gerald Riggs (1982 to 1991): 201.

Eric Bieniemy (1991 to 1999): 146.

Doug Cunningham (1967 to 1974): 137.

Leonard Russell (1991 to 1996): 122.

Earl Campbell (1978 to 1985): 121.

Frank Pollard (1980 to 1988): 104.

Jaylen Warren (2022-present): 94.

All of these players are running backs. The only receiver in the top 20 is New England’s Demario Douglas, a second-year player whose 67 receptions without a touchdown are tied for the 20th most in NFL history.

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