Packers: Players on the mend, but questions remain
Packers players on the mend continue to show improvement, but who will play Sunday at Minnesota is still up in the air, according to coach Mike McCarthy.
Much will be determined after today’s practice, McCarthy said this morning while addressing the injury situation in Green Bay.
The best news coming out of practice and the injury report yesterday afternoon was the fact that while wide receiver Jordy Nelson did suffer a back injury near the end of the Packers win at Dallas Sunday, the injury was considered minor and Nelson was a full participant in practice on Wednesday.
More from Lombardi Ave
- Packers: Picks in NFL.com mock draft would be a home run
- Packers salary cap update following second week of free agency
- Packers’ cornerback depth chart after second week of free agency
- Packers’ edge rusher depth chart after second week of free agency
- Packers’ tackle depth chart after second week of free agency
But there is still the issue with left tackle David Bakhtiari.
Though his practice was limited yesterday, McCarthy said that his availability on Sunday will depend on how things go today and tomorrow.
McCarthy on Bakhtiari: He did well. See how he does in practice today.
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) October 12, 2017
Getting Bakhtiari back into the lineup is more important this weekend that it has been in the recent past. While Lane Taylor is a fine lineman, he’s not a tackle – he’s a guard.
Asking Taylor to go up against the likes of Everson Griffen and that Minnesota defense would be asking a lot. It’s not that Taylor probably wouldn’t hold up, but you know there are going to be certain situations when Griffen gets through. That wouldn’t be good for Aaron Rodgers.
We saw that situation a couple of seasons ago when then-Packers guard Josh Sitton slid over to tackle when Bakhtiari was out. Sitton was serviceable, but not great.
Most likely it would be much the same with Taylor in that situation.
Clearly, the decision on Bakhtiari will come down to the doctors …
In addition to Bakhtiari, rookie cornerback Kevin King didn’t practice on Wednesday and is in the concussion protocol.
Kevin King still in the concussion protocol. "He's progressing" says McCarthy.
— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) October 12, 2017
As for running back Ty Montgomery, he is still battling the healing broken ribs he suffered in the win against the Bears. However, he was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and could be ready to go. If he’s not, be certain that rookie running back Aaron Jones will be ready.
Add to that mix fellow rookie Jamaal Williams and the Packers are pretty well set at the running back position.
McCarthy summed up the injury situation for Montgomery and the entire team by saying:
"“The plan is to practice and see how he progresses. This is an important practice. It’s our padded work. A lot of our evaluation and projection will come out of this practice.”"
If one thing is for certain, Packers fans are hoping for the offense to be back to full health as soon as possible, considering they will be going against the Vikings defense. That is a solid group across the board and clearly the strength of the Vikings team.
Next: Top 30 moments in Green Bay Packers history
If the Packers can get up by a couple of touchdowns in this game, it could be disastrous for the Vikings – a team that hasn’t been real consistent on offense.
However, that will require the team to be at full strength.