Josh Jacobs has been grinding through pain all season, but now he’s opening up about a real tension point with the Packers’ head coach. In a revealing comment, Jacobs made it clear that he and Matt LaFleur have “clashed” over whether he’d suit up despite his bumps and bruises.

“I just know he [Matt LaFleur] knows my mindset,” said Jacobs as per Matt Schneidman of the Athletic. “It’s been a couple of times since I’ve been here we kind of clashed on if they were gonna allow me to play or not. And every time I had a pretty good game. So I think he’s to a point where he’s like, I’m just gonna trust you. If you say you could do it. And you believe that you can do it, then I’m gonna let you go.”

That dynamic traces back to a knee contusion Jacobs first aggravated in Week 11 during a gritty 27-20 win over the Giants. Eventually, he only missed the Week 12 Vikings game, but the injury lingered, listing him as questionable heading into Week 15 against the Broncos. Yet, as Jacobs himself put it, if he truly believes he can go, he’s lacing ’em up. He did just that, hitting the field with that familiar fire.

The three-time Pro Bowler didn’t disappoint, powering through for 73 rushing yards with two receptions and two touchdowns. It would seem like LaFleur has clearly bought into Jacobs’ self-belief, seeing firsthand how it fuels the running back’s best performances amid the pain.

“He’s battling through,” said coach LaFleur after the Denver loss. “This guy is as tough as they come. I will never count him out of a fight, I’ll tell you that. But if we were practicing today, he absolutely would not be practicing.”

All said and done, Jacobs did miss one game in Week 12 to let the knee heal. But the injury troubles don’t end there. The injury lingers with questions about how much more their star can carry.

The growing toll of Josh Jacobs’ knee injury

After that Broncos matchup, LaFleur navigated a brutal injury report stacked with names like Micah Parsons. And Jacobs, who didn’t practice all week, took a hit in the 26-34 loss.

“I think (resting during practice last week) helped,” LaFleur said. “Unfortunately, he got hit pretty early in that contest on one of those short yardage plays. He battled through it, he gutted it out. Some of those plays he made were absolutely incredible.”

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Tuesday brought no relief, as the Packers practiced without Jacobs, who sat it out entirely, according to Packersnews.com. Earlier, the head coach had said that Jacobs would sit out on Tuesday if the team held a traditional practice. With an injury lingering, the coaching staff is prioritizing his long-term health over reps in a low-key session.

The running back is grappling with stiffness and swelling in that same knee. Across his career, he has been sidelined for 13 games in total.

The Packers, sitting at 9-4-1, head to Chicago for a high-stakes clash against the 10-4 Bears, knowing that a win would all but seal their postseason fate. According to playoff projections, a victory would push Green Bay’s playoff probability to a staggering 99%, making Sunday’s outcome pivotal beyond just divisional bragging rights.