Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst's offseason moves to bring in safety Xavier McKinney and running back Josh Jacobs are paying off big time for the 8-3 club.
Both players keyed Sunday's 38-10 blowout win over the Brock Purdy-less San Francisco 49ers. Jacobs led Green Bay with 26 carries, 106 rush yards and three TDs. McKinney, meanwhile, recorded his seventh interception of the season, tied for the most in the NFL (Detroit's Kerby Joseph).
"They're propelling our franchise," defensive lineman Kenny Clark said of McKinney and Jacobs, . "They've been doing a great job all year, two great additions to our team. Josh has been doing a helluva job all year. His jump cuts and all that kind of stuff, he's a great back. X, he's been lights out all year. He's been great.
"Yeah, two great additions to our team and two guys we definitely needed."
The former Alabama additions have spearheaded the Packers this season, with Jacobs as the reliable engine of a diverse offense and McKinney as the playmaking secondary weapon who thwarts opponents' scoring chances.
"We didn't talk about both coming here. It kind of just happened," McKinney said. "When we got up here, obviously, we talked, and we were real happy to be back on the same team. I know what he's made of. We're cut from the same cloth so it's fun to be able to be with a guy that I know personally."
McKinney, who signed a four-year, $67 million contract in Green Bay after four seasons with the New York Giants, snagged an overthrow by 49ers backup quarterback Brandon Allen -- starting in place of an injured Purdy (shoulder) -- and raced to the Niners' 26-yard-line. The pick was the first of three second-half turnovers forced by Green Bay, which they turned into 21 points, blowing the game open.
"That's what I came here to do," McKinney said of his INT. "That's why I was brought in, to be able to make big-time plays when we really need it, so credit to a great call with (defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley). Credit to everybody doing their job and that's just going out there and me being able to make a play."
Jacobs has proven he can be a workhorse, seamlessly filling the production void left by Aaron Jones' departure. Sunday marked the running back's third career game with at least three rushing TDs -- he's the first Packers player to run for three scores since Jones in 2019. Jacobs has seven straight games with 90-plus scrimmage yards, the longest active streak in the NFL, and is the first Green Bay player to hit that number in seven-plus games since Eddie Lacy in 2014-15 (10 games).
Jacobs, who inked a four-year, $48 million deal in Green Bay after five years with the Raiders, is more concerned with the W than the superlatives.
"I haven't won a lot in my career, and that was a big thing for me when I'm making a decision," Jacobs said. "Being around these guys and seeing how hungry they are, seeing how much of pros they are on a day-to-day basis and how much it means to them, man, it makes me want to play harder. It makes me want to give everything I have."
The victory pushed Green Bay to 8-3 on the season, their best start through 11 games since 2021, when they took the No. 1 seed in the NFC at 13-4. However, with Detroit (10-1) and Minnesota (9-2) winning on Sunday, the Packers remain in third place in the NFC North.
At 8-3, the 2024 Packers have the best record by any team to be in third or worse in its division entering Week 13 since the 1970 NFL merger.
Green Bay nexts hosts the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving night.
