The Green Bay Packers will miss multiple starters when they visit the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football.
Despite practicing all week, the Packers have ruled out wide receiver Romeo Doubs and cornerback Jaire Alexander. Unsurprisingly, they have also confirmed that linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and cornerback Corey Ballentine won't play after missing practice all week.
The Packers and Lions are playing their third game in 12 days, which is a brutal schedule for any team. Like last year, Green Bay must win at Ford Field without a few key players.
However, Detroit faces an even worse injury situation. More on that in a moment. Here is the Packers' final injury report for Week 14:
Player | Position | Injury | Wed. | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jaire Alexander | CB | Knee | DNP | Out |
Corey Ballentine | CB | Knee | DNP | Out |
Kenny Clark | DL | NIR-Rest | FP | - |
Edgerrin Cooper | LB | Hamstring | DNP | Out |
Romeo Doubs | WR | Concussion | LP | Out |
John FitzPatrick | TE | Back | FP | - |
Josh Jacobs | RB | Calf | LP | - |
Elgton Jenkins | G/T | Knee | LP | - |
Isaiah McDuffie | LB | Ankle | FP | - |
Arron Mosby | DL | Concussion Protocol | - | N/A |
Josh Myers | C | Pectoral | FP | - |
Rasheed Walker | T | Knee | FP | - |
Colby Wooden | DT | Shoulder | LP | - |
Packers and Lions dealing with major injury concerns on TNF
The Packers aren't the only team dealing with injury concerns. The Lions have it even worse. They have ruled out four key players, not to mention the 18 players they are missing on injured reserve. It presents Green Bay with the perfect opportunity to leave Ford Field with a crucial win.
Detroit won't have star left tackle Taylor Decker, defensive linemen DJ Reader and Levi Onwuzurike, and edge-rusher Josh Paschal. It's hard to believe how many injuries the Lions are dealing with along the defensive line. It places more pressure on former Packers pass-rusher Za'Darius Smith, but Green Bay has the perfect answer to prevent him from making a big impact.
But Green Bay would prefer to have Alexander available in this game. Detroit's offense is arguably the best in football, and with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta on the field, the Packers' coverage will be tested regularly. Can Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine/Eric Stokes, and Quay Walker get the job done?
Walker has played his best football in recent weeks and will need another big game without Cooper. He has made plays against the run, as a blitzer, and in coverage, and the Packers will need another do-it-all performance from their former first-round pick.
Playing on back-to-back Thursdays hasn't helped. Doubs has practiced this week and appears to have made good progress through the concussion protocol, but playing on Thursday Night Football gave him less time to clear each test and return to action. Hopefully, he can play in next week's game against the Seattle Seahawks, which will also be in primetime.