Josh Jacobs and the Green Bay Packers will take on the Carolina Panthers to kick off the Week 8 NFL slate on Thursday Night Football.
Jacobs made his return to the field last week and will look to aid the Packers in their tight divisional race as the season fully hits its stride. Despite getting off to a 4-3 start to the season, Green Bay sits in last place in the NFC North, with this shaping up to be the most competitive division in football.
Looking at the odds for the TNF matchup, the Packers enter as 3.5-point favorites with -192 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Panthers are +160 to pull off the upset, with the game total set at O/U 47.5 points.
There are plenty of ways to get involved. You can check out the game preview and more on DraftKings Network. But for now, let’s look at my top Josh Jacobs prop bet for Thursday Night Football.
Josh Jacobs Rushing Yards Pick for Thursday Night Football
Josh Jacobs Over 59.5 Rushing Yards (-110)
Josh Jacobs was sidelined for the first six weeks of the season while facing legal charges and an ongoing NFL investigation. He was officially removed from the Commissioner’s Exempt List ahead of last week’s matchup. It is worth noting that the NFL’s investigation remains ongoing, and the possibility of additional disciplinary action is still on the table. For the time being, however, Jacobs is eligible to play and contribute to the Packers’ offense.
During his Week 7 debut, Jacobs recorded 11 carries for 36 rushing yards while adding five receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown through the air against the Detroit Lions. MarShawn Lloyd tallied six carries, while Savion Williams had a pair of rushing attempts to round out the team’s rushing production. Jacobs should see his role and production expand as he gets more comfortable following his return, but his involvement in the offense was already clear in his first game back.
This is an especially favorable opportunity for Jacobs to take a notable leap forward in production. The Panthers are allowing 153.2 rushing yards per game, which ranks last in the NFL. They also rank 32nd in rushing touchdowns allowed and net yards per rushing attempt allowed. Bucky Irving shredded the Panthers for 106 yards on the ground last week, and the Chicago Bears gashed this defensive unit for as many as 291 total rushing yards in the season opener. Both D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai recorded 100+ rushing yards in this game, while Caleb Williams also eclipsed the 59.5-rushing yard line in that matchup.
There is some fair reason for concern about this Packers offensive line, but Jacobs provided a jolt of life to their attack last week with 91 total scrimmage yards. This is a far more favorable matchup for the three-time Pro-Bowler, and expect him to look even sharper after kicking off the rust in his first game back. Jacobs has averaged 69.5 rushing yards per game across his Packers tenure and recorded as many as 97.2 average rushing yards per game across a season. He eclipsed this 59.5 rushing yard total in nine of his 15 games played last year and 13 of his 17 games played in 2024.
With such a favorable matchup and Jacobs already making an impact in his season debut, expect Thursday night’s game to be a launching point for his production this year. Detroit did a nice job limiting the Packers’ ground game last week, but Jacobs still found a way to make a major impact as a pass catcher. Don’t expect the Panthers to have the same level of success against Green Bay’s rushing attack. The 59.5-yard rushing line is low enough for the 28-year-old to clear in this matchup.
