The euphoria of nearly every Packer victory this season has been short lived because the Monday morning after doctor visits keep producing tough news.
The 17-0 shutout of the Seattle Seahawks propelled Green Bay back to the top of the NFC Playoff standings with two months to go but they’ll be pressing on without another key offensive playmaker and a pair of effective edge rushers.
The most significant injury was suffered by veteran linebacker Whitney Mercilus who according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, tore his biceps muscle in the first half and will be lost for the season. Head Coach Matt LaFleur didn’t disclose the severity at his Monday afternoon press conference but his tone was a giveaway.
“That’s a tough one”, he said.
Mercilus was signed following his release from the Houston Texans where he played for the first nine years of his career. Brought aboard to give the pass rush a boost, Mercilus was delivering, recording his first sack as a Packer on Sunday.
Couple that with Rashan Gary dealing with a hyperextended elbow and the Packers are down to just two edge rushers in Preston Smith and Jonathan Garvin. The team hopes Gary’s stay on the injury list will be brief and there’s a chance he could continue to play with a protective brace. He also recorded a sack Sunday to set a new season career high with 5.5.
Then there’s the knee injury that knocked Aaron Jones out of the game. The team may have dodged a bullet as reports indicated it was an MCL sprain (which like any ligament injury is a tear of some degree). It’s not the first time Jones has had to deal with this type of injury. It apparently won’t require surgery but Jones is expected to miss anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks. The Packers play two more games (at Minnesota, vs the Rams) before the week 13 bye.
A.J. Dillon, who produced 128 total yards with two touchdowns in the victory over Seattle will assume the lead back role. Patrick Taylor was brought up from the practice squad to be his backup.
LaFleur indicated General Manager Brian Gutekunst will once again consider replacements from within or on the waiver wire.
The Packers do have a back and edge rusher on the practice squad in running back Ryquell Armstead, a three veteran and linebacker Tipa Gilaei who spent all of last season on the practice squad.
Gutekunst did announce one roster move on Monday, waiving veteran quarterback Blake Bortels from the practice squad. He spent two weeks as the emergency quarterback while both Aaron Rodgers and Kurt Benkert were on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Rodgers of course was activated Saturday and Benkert cleared his protocols after his quarantine and was moved off the reserve list and back on to the practice squad.
