Just one month and seven days ago, the Packers were in a world of hurt. They had entered Week 1 without pro bowl OT David Bakhtiari and left with a crushing loss, coupled with a re-aggravated injury to OLB Za'Darius Smith. Unfortunately, this would just be the start of an early-season health crisis for the team.
In Week 4, CB Jaire Alexander suffered a severe shoulder injury, which has put a 2021 return in jeopardy. Just days later, OLB Chauncey Rivers suffered a torn ACL in practice that ended his season. Finally, scattered across these extended absences have been a slew of other week-to-week injuries: the Packers put WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Dominique Dafney on IR in September and were without TE Josiah Deguara, OL Elgton Jenkins and CB Kevin King for multiple games apiece.
On Sunday came more. Against the Bears, C Josh Myers suffered his second injury in three weeks. Green Bay also saw pass rusher Preston Smith (hamstring) and safety Darnell Savage (concussion) exit the game early, leaving their respective positions extraordinarily thin. And, even with a compounding injury report, this won't be the first time the franchise has pushed the bounds of midseason medical disaster.
One of Those Years
Remarkably healthy in general last season, the Packers may have been overdue for a year like this one.
Reaching back a bit, the team has endured some tough seasons when it comes to injuries, beginning, ironically, with their Super Bowl run. That year, they lost starters early in the season, beginning with RB Ryan Grant, followed by TE Jermichael Finley, LB Nick Barnett, S Morgan Burnett and several other key contributors. In 2013, they were quickly down Finley, OT Bryan Bulaga and CB Casey Hayward and then were without Aaron Rodgers and Randall Cobb for long stretches of the regular season.
At one point, fans even began to question the practices of strength and conditioning coach Dave Redding and whether the front office was making a bad tradeoff between raw talent and innate susceptibility to injury in their draft prospecting. The constant depletion of starters just didn't seem to be something other teams dealt with on a regular basis.
Glass Half Full
Despite a roster top-heavy with superstars, the Packers may need to lean on the lesser-known to put themselves in position for another NFC North title and deep postseason run. Fortunately, the depth is there at most positions.
Coach Adam Stenavich has been able to shuffle Green Bay's young O-line throughout Bakhtiari's absence and supply adequate protection for Rodgers in the passing game. On defense, third-year OLB Rashan Gary has been able to become major source of pressure without much help from the rest of the front seven. Finally, at cornerback, the Packers have been able to get by at least temporarily, with rookie Eric Stokes quickly ascending to an NFL level in coverage.
There are other reasons to be looking up. Of the many injured players, Rivers is the only one who is definitively lost for the year. After that, Za'Darius Smith and Alexander seem to have the longest schedules and worst odds of returning to the lineup in 2021. After those important names, the Packers must simply wait for their long list of banged-up starters - MVS, King, Myers, Preston Smith and Savage - to get healthy.
Finally, the Packers are healthy where it truly matters most. Bakhtiari has returned to practice as of this week and should be to suit up by November or earlier. Aaron Jones and Davante Adams are fully healthy, continuing to pace one of the league's most electric offenses. And, of course, the player most vital to the Packers getting back to the Super Bowl has, so far, avoided his prior four-year reunion with injury.
For now, we can marvel at how the 5-1 Packers continue to win despite the sustained absence of key personnel.
Comments