“We’re in pretty good health right now.”
Matt LaFleur hasn’t been able to speak very positively about injuries for much of the season, but he was able to give a positive update on Tuesday. The Packers are expected to get back several key players, specifically on offense, for this weekend’s Wild Card matchup with the Chicago Bears.
The Packers haven’t been at full health all season, but the last time they were this healthy was in Week 15 when they played the Denver Broncos. Green Bay was cruising, up 23-14 and on their way to making it a three-score game. But once Zach Tom went down, everything changed. The following week, the Packers lost Jordan Love. Then they lost Malik Willis and Dontayvion Wicks the following week. The Denver game marked the start of a cruel domino effect.
Luckily for the Packers, they are getting back some vital members of their offense. Jordan Love, Malik Willis, Josh Jacobs, Zach Tom, and Dontayvion Wicks should all return to the lineup this weekend after each has missed time over the last few weeks. With the season on the line, Green Bay’s offense will be as healthy as it has been in weeks.
Jordan Love
Jordan Love suffered a concussion during the Week 16 matchup with the Bears. He missed the rest of that game and the following game against Baltimore due to the injury. The Packers opted to rest Love last week against the Vikings, despite him being cleared to play. Love will have missed two and a half games, but he’s at least been able to practice. The Packers even removed this week’s injury report entirely.
Love isn’t worried about being rusty at all. “I don’t have any concern about that,” Love said yesterday. “I think still just practicing all week, staying locked in. Obviously suited up last week, was ready to go. It’s been a couple of weeks, but no, it doesn’t feel like that, just staying with it in practice.” And to make matters even better, Love was seen practicing without a brace on his thumb for the first time in a while. It’ll be all systems go for Jordan Love and the Packers’ offense.
Malik Willis
After missing last week’s game, Malik Willis returned to practice this week and is expected to be Jordan Love’s backup on Saturday. Willis had been battling both a shoulder injury and a hamstring injury. As happy as the Packers are to have Love back in the lineup, they have to be just as happy knowing Willis will be good to sub in if needed.
The hope is that Willis won’t have to play at all on Saturday evening. But in the event that something happens to Jordan Love, the Packers would feel much more comfortable with Willis as the signal caller than newly-signed Desmond Ridder. In Love’s absence, Willis was superb. He went 27/32 for 409 yards and two touchdowns. That’s good enough for a passer rating of 139.6. He also rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. The Packers are very fortunate to have a backup as good as Malik Willis.
Josh Jacobs
Josh Jacobs might be the healthiest he’s been since Week 11, when he first injured his knee. Jacobs only missed one game with the knee injury and was trending in the right direction, but he reaggravated the injury in Denver. But now, for the first time in a while, Jacobs was completely removed from the injury report, and he is good to go.
After re-injuring his knee, Jacobs was not the same player. In the games against Chicago and Baltimore, he rushed a total of 16 times for 39 yards and no scores. The week off evidently did wonders for Jacobs, allowing him to be the healthiest he’s been in a while. “My body coming into this game is the best I’ve felt probably in the last six weeks,” Jacobs said yesterday.
Zach Tom
The Packers are fully expecting to have their starting right tackle back this Saturday in Chicago. Tom suffered a knee injury against the Denver Broncos in the second quarter and has missed the last three games. Tom’s absence was immediately noticeable. The Packers’ offense immediately began to sputter and has been inconsistent since.
Tom is easily the Packers’ best offensive lineman, and the offense has been drastically different since he exited the game in Denver. Tom hasn’t allowed a sack all season and has only committed one penalty. “I think that’d be a huge get,” LaFleur said of Tom. “He’s our most consistent offensive lineman. He’s one of the best in the league, I think, at his position. That would definitely be a boost.”
Dontayvion Wicks
The Packers should also have a fully healthy group of wide receivers. In addition to a healthy Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Matthew Golden, Dontayvion Wicks could return this Saturday as well. Wicks suffered a concussion against Baltimore in Week 17 and subsequently missed last week’s game due to still being in the concussion protocol. With almost two full weeks to recover, Wicks could make his return this weekend.
At this point, Wicks still hasn’t cleared protocol, but he practiced on both Tuesday and Wednesday in limited capacities. Unfortunately, this isn’t Wicks’ first concussion, so it’s difficult to predict when exactly he will clear the protocol, but he didn’t practice at all last week, so returning to practice would indicate that Wicks is trending in the right direction. Having a full complement of weapons would be a big boost for Love and the offense.
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