Josh Jacobs scores twice for the Packers but runs 21 times for 39 yards

The Packers won Thursday night, 27-19 over Carolina, and Josh Jacobs scored two touchdowns in his second game back. Look past the box-score touchdowns, though, and Green Bay has a running game problem.

Jacobs carried 21 times for 39 yards, 1.9 per carry, with a long run of 6, according to the ESPN box score. The Packers ran for 66 yards as a team on 26 attempts. Jacobs' touchdowns came on a 1-yard run and a 4-yard catch.

This was the fear going in. Green Bay lost center Sean Rhyan and backup Jacob Monk in Sunday's loss at Detroit, and right guard Travis Glover was out with a knee injury. Jacobs said before the game that "the standard is still the standard regardless of who's in there." Against a Carolina defense that had just given up 43 points to Tampa Bay and was missing edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, the standard was 39 yards.

The Packers won anyway because Jordan Love did not need the run. He went 30 of 41 for 288 yards and three touchdowns, and the patched line kept him clean, with zero sacks allowed. Christian Watson caught eight passes for 113 yards after a trip to the hospital for precautionary testing in the first half. Matthew Golden had seven catches for 79 yards and a score.

The defense did the rest. Six different Packers sacked Bryce Young, and Ty'Ron Hopper picked him off. Carolina converted 5 of 18 third downs and got within 27-19 only on Jalen Coker's fourth-down touchdown with 5:37 left.

Green Bay is 5-3, and a pass-first team with Love throwing like this can win plenty of games. But the Packers did not bring Jacobs back to be a goal-line back. Until the interior of that line gets healthy, that's about all he can be.