Packers: No concerns over David Bakhtiari’s early exit vs. Lions
Green Bay Packers All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari made his long-awaited return from injury in Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Lions.
Bakhtiari started the game but left early, which was concerning for fans. But, never fear, there aren’t any new injury concerns for Bakhtiari.
According to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, Bakhtiari left the game due to fatigue, which is unsurprising as this was his first game action in over a year.
Matt LaFleur says David Bakhtiari was fatigued, more than anything else, hence his early exit. No injury concern.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) January 9, 2022
Bakhtiari also said that he felt fine.
David Bakhtiari says he feels fine. Team had a threshold of what he was gonna do today, and he felt like he reached it, which is why he came out in the second quarter.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) January 9, 2022
So, it seems the plan was always to limit Bakhtiari’s snap counts on Sunday, which was to be expected. This was his first game in over a year. And with the game not making a difference to the playoff picture, there was no need for Bakhtiari to push to play the entire game.
It’s been a long time since the All-Pro tackle was last out there in game action. Suddenly returning in Week 18 isn’t easy, but the reps would’ve helped him.
That shows exactly why this game was important for Bakhtiari. The first game back was always going to be a challenge. Had he not played today, that game wouldn’t have come until the divisional round.
These reps would’ve been beneficial for not just Bakhtiari, but the rest of the offense. And that includes Aaron Rodgers.
It wasn’t just Bakhtiari making his return from injury on Sunday, but also starting center Josh Myers. It’s no surprise, then, that Rodgers regularly had all day to throw. The offensive line is getting healthy at just the right time.
Bakhtiari got a preseason game today in many ways. It will help his return from injury. The next game is the big one. And the Packers are going to need their All-Pro left tackle throughout their playoff run in the coming weeks.
How great was it to see Bakhtiari out there?