GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers are about to embark on the biggest three-game stretch of the season with a banged-up roster following Sunday’s win against the New York Giants.
A day after a 27-20 victory that snapped a two-game losing streak, coach Matt LaFleur answered several injury-related questions at Lambeau Field on Monday, including the status of quarterback Jordan Love and running back Josh Jacobs.
Quarterback Jordan Love sustained an injured left shoulder on a first-quarter run. Malik Willis finished off the touchdown drive, but Love returned and helped rally the Packers to victory.
LaFleur said he didn’t change anything offensively against the Giants to protect Love, so presumably won’t have to adjust against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving and the Chicago Bears the following Sunday.
“He’s doing good,” LaFleur said. “Obviously, he’s definitely sore. That was a pretty big hit, one of those that you just, ‘C’mon, man, you can’t put yourself in those situations,’ but I thought he played his ass off yesterday. I really did.
“I thought he was throwing accurately. He showed a ton of toughness in the pocket. There were multiple times he’s getting hit pretty good from within the pocket and making throws, so I was really proud of his ability to come back into the game and just show that not only physical toughness, but the mental toughness to hang in there and continue to keep fighting.”
Love had played every offensive snap this season until missing seven after the injury.
“You get X-rayed, get taped up and see what the severity of it is and if you come back,” Love said after the game. “But it happened on the hit. Lowered my shoulder and he gave me a good pop. So, felt it right away.”
Running back Josh Jacobs “potentially” could play on Sunday against the Vikings, LaFleur said, after missing most of the game with a knee injury.
“We’ll see where it’s at,” LaFleur said. “It’s a contusion, so it’s just more or less trying to get the swelling down. And, unfortunately, that’s a pretty hard surface over there, and sometimes the byproduct of that.”
If not, the Packers will roll with Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks as their primary backs and probably elevate Pierre Strong from the practice squad.
“I thought both those guys came in and did a nice job just owning their roles,” LaFleur said. “I don’t know if you guys saw the pass protection Brooks provided on that big play to Savion Williams. That’s one thing you can always count on with Chris Brooks, man. That guy is going to do his job and he is going to strain while doing it. So, I got a lot of confidence in him. I know he only had the one carry, but I thought he did a nice job on that carry, as well, just hitting the hole with some authority.
“And then Emanuel, he did what he needed to do as well. And so both those guys, if called upon, I have confidence that they’re going to get the job done.”
Wilson is second on the team with 220 rushing yards and is averaging 4.2 yards per carry. Brooks has been used sparingly with three rushes for 10 yards, though he did have a couple catches for 24 yards against Carolina two weeks ago.
LaFleur called linebacker Quay Walker “day-to-day” with a stinger that knocked him out of the action in the third quarter. He had seven tackles in just 38 snaps, giving him a team-high 84 for the season. It’s not just the production that the team would miss, though.
“It’s always tough to replace a guy like Quay,” LaFleur said. “I think Quay’s been playing outstanding football and he’s really become the vocal leader of our defense. So, that’s like replacing the quarterback.”
Moved into an every-down role after the injury, Isaiah McDuffie had a team-high 11 tackles. Ty’Ron Hopper had one tackle in a career-high 12 snaps.
“Isaiah has done a great job coming in and Hop (has) done a nice job, so we feel confident if that is the way we have to go that we’ve got guys who are able to go in there and do their job so our defense doesn’t fall off a bit,” LaFleur said.
Receiver Romeo Doubs dropped out of the game a couple times. It had nothing to do with last week’s chest injury, though. Instead, it was going face-first into the MetLife Stadium turf and getting pellets in his eyes.
“It sounded like that’s what happened,” LaFleur said. “I don’t know if he got some of those pebbles in his eye or whatever. Did you guys see him postgame? It looked like he was in a boxing match with somebody. His helmet must have slid down, so his eyes were a little puffy.
“But it speaks to just how tough Rome is and his ability to bounce back and battle back and come back in the game. Obviously, we all know what type of player he’s been for us. He’s just been super-reliable, super-consistent.”
Including catching four passes for 53 yards on Sunday, Doubs leads the Packers with 39 receptions for 499 yards. According to Pro Football Focus, he dropped two passes on Sunday after dropping two in the first nine games.
Sticking with the receivers, Matthew Golden was inactive last week with a shoulder injury. He appeared to aggravate it on the deep shot that resulted in a 35-yard gain for pass interference and set up a touchdown to open the third quarter. Golden left the game but returned to play four snaps in the fourth quarter.
LaFleur said he’d have a better idea of Golden’s status on Wednesday.
After missing two games with an injured quad, kicker Brandon McManus kicked in the previous three games. On Thursday, he proclaimed himself healthy. On Saturday, he was added to the injury report and listed as doubtful.
Lucas Havrisik kicked, badly missing two extra points on an incredibly windy day.
McManus will not be placed on injured reserve.
“I think it’s one of those things that you’ve just got to take it in stride and handle it on a day-to-day basis,” LaFleur said, “but I know that it’s not for a lack of want-to and/or effort. We’ve got a lot of people trying. He’s trying. Hopefully, we can continue to work through this thing.”
The Packers have three players who are eligible to come off injured reserve: receiver Jayden Reed (collarbone/foot), running back MarShawn Lloyd (hamstring) and defensive end Brenton Cox (groin).
“I sure as heck hope so,” LaFleur said.
Asked specifically about Lloyd, who was injured in the preseason and has played only 10 snaps in his two seasons, and Reed, who was playing through a foot injury before breaking his collarbone in Week 2, LaFleur said they “potentially” could have their 21-day return-to-play windows opened this week.
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