GREEN BAY, Wis. -- If Josh Jacobs misses any time, it won't be more than one game. At least that's how the Green Bay Packers running back believes it will shake out after he sustained a knee injury in Sunday's win over the New York Giants.
Jacobs, speaking Thursday, would not rule out playing Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings -- the start of a key stretch of three straight NFC North games -- and he all but guaranteed he would be back for the Thanksgiving game at the Detroit Lions four days later.
"Worst case if I don't play this week, Thursday I'm definitely playing," Jacobs said. "It's not like something that'll linger over past that. That's really the worst-case scenario, yeah."
Jacobs said he injured his knee on the second play of Sunday's game and blamed the surface at MetLife Stadium. He played 10 more snaps before he dropped out because of what turned out to be a contusion that quickly swelled after he banged his knee at the end of a run.
"Definitely the worst, it's always been the worst," Jacobs said of the field conditions. "I know if I ever play there again I will never talk about it because I talked about it all week, how bad it was, and it bit me in the ass."
Jacobs returned to practice Thursday on a limited basis after not practicing Wednesday. He said the swelling that made it hard to bend his knee during the game has been greatly reduced. He said stiffness and mobility were more of a hindrance than the pain.
"Really now today it's already 50%, probably 60% of the swelling is gone," Jacobs said after practice. "It's just about getting the range of motion back."
Ultimately, the medical staff will help determine when Jacobs plays again, but the Packers haven't ruled anything out and will let the week play out.
"Josh has a pretty intense demeanor about him," offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. "If he's like, 'I'm in,' I'm like, 'OK.' ... He's a guy who does everything he can to get out there for his team."
Third-year pro Emanuel Wilson, a former undrafted free agent, replaced Jacobs as the primary back against the Giants and recorded his first rushing touchdown of the season. Chris Brooks would likely be the backup to Wilson if Jacobs does not play Sunday.
The Packers (6-3-1) listed 18 players -- more than a third of their roster -- on their injury report. However, all but three players had some level of practice participation. The only nonparticipants were linebacker Quay Walker (neck), cornerback Nate Hobbs (knee) and defensive tackle Karl Brooks (ankle).