Evan Williams injury couldn't have come at a worse time for Packers

While the biggest concern is with Jordan Love's injury status, the Green Bay Packers also lost rookie safety Evan Williams in their Week 8 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Williams is having a dominant debut year in Green Bay, but he suffered a hamstring injury and had to leave the game. It forced the Packers to reshuffle their secondary. Javon Bullard moved to safety, Keisean Nixon went back to the slot, and Eric Stokes played more snaps at outside corner.

The results? Not great.

Shortly after Williams' injury, Trevor Lawrence led a 10-play touchdown drive, capped off with a pass to rookie Brian Thomas, who beat Bullard in coverage. Williams' absence led to more snaps for Stokes, but he earned an awful 44.6 PFF coverage grade after giving up two receptions on three targets.

Hamstring injuries are always tricky to deal with. The Packers haven't provided an update on the severity, but it comes at the worst possible time.

Evan Williams injury could create a nightmare for Packers secondary

Not only did Williams' absence hurt the Packers in a close game against the Jaguars, but they will need him ahead of a brutal upcoming schedule.

In Week 9, the Packers' defense gets by far their toughest challenge of the season. The Detroit Lions have arguably the best offense in football, and they are scoring points at will. The Lions are averaging a league-best 33.1 points per game. They won't have wide receiver Jameson Williams due to suspension, but his absence didn't stop them from putting up 52 points on the Tennessee Titans.

It's no coincidence that the Packers' defensive performances improved after Williams landed a starting job. He makes big plays every week, including two turnovers and a game-winning pass breakup.

Losing Williams' playmaking ability is only part of the problem. The domino effect meant moving Bullard out of the slot position, where he has shined, and forced the Packers to give Stokes extensive playing time.

If the rookie faces an extended absence, he could miss crucial games against the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers. Fortunately, the Packers' Week 10 bye provides additional recovery time.

Green Bay may opt to give Williams the bye to get healthy. It's a smart approach, but losing him for next week's matchup against Detroit is less than ideal. Hopefully, the Packers taking him out of the game was a precautionary move and he doesn't need to miss time, but given the nature of hamstring injuries, that may be wishful thinking.

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