It’s a big one Sunday at Lambeau Field. A pair of NFC contenders hook up at 3:25 PM as the 8-3 Packers host the 7-3 Los Angeles Rams. The practice week opened for both teams today but as usual with the Pack at least this year, the hot topics had nothing to X’s and O’s, rather it was all about knees and toes.
First, it was disclosed on the off day Tuesday that David Bakhtiari’s comeback from ACL surgery right about the last time Green Bay played L.A. in the NFC Divisional Round last January, will take a bit longer. After practicing for a couple of weeks after getting elevated from the Physically Unable to Perform list, the All Pro left tackle was absent from practice last week. Turns out, he underwent an arthroscopic procedure to clean up undisclosed issues affecting his knee. The bye finally arrives next week but Bakhtiari’s debut might still be weeks away. Possibly by the Christmas Day game against Cleveland which would give him three regular seasons to get back into the swing before the post-season.
With Elgton Jenkins placed on injured reserve Tuesday, the Packers will start Yosh Nijman at left tackle. Guard Ben Braden was signed to the active roster from the practice squad and to add depth, on Wednesday, the Packers re-signed former Wisconsin Badger guard and Seymour native Jon Dietzen to the practice squad.
Another COVID case also surfaced today as linebacker Jonathan Garvin was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. If vaccinated with a positive test, he’ll certainly miss the Rams game. If a close contact, he might be reactivated with two negative test results before the weekend.
Speaking of COVID. The Aaron Rodgers drama took another wild turn over the past 24 hours. He returned from his 10 day quarantine the day before the Seattle game but also re-joined the team with a mysterious toe injury. Rodgers wasn’t able to practice at all last week outside of a limited appearance during Friday’s walk through. After a slow start, he played brilliantly in the loss to the Vikings and afterwards, admitted he was dealing with a lot of pain.
Tuesday, on his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfeee podcast, Rodgers made what many considered a tongue in cheek reference to “COVID toe”, a real and potentially serious side effect of the coronavirus. The Wall Street Journal published a story that concluded Rodgers indeed had COVID toe.
The quarterback was ready to put the speculation to rest after practice today. It was Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com that broached the subject to lead off Rodgers’ zoom session with the media.
Aaron Rodgers shows the world his fractured pinkie toe.
Rodgers said the injury occurred during his ramp up workouts coming out of quarantine. He wasn’t sure what was wrong until he got an x-ray the Saturday morning of his return, confirming the fracture. He admits there isn’t a lot he can do for it in the short term. “It’s all about managing the pain”, Rodgers said adding, “I don’t plan on missing any time.”
During the bye week, he may consult with noted foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson who works across the street from Lambeau Field at the Titletown Sports and Orthopedic clinic.
Rodgers did not participate in practice today but has been involved in daily walk throughs.
“I’ll deal with the pain but the plan is to go to the finish line”, Rodgers said.
Aside from Bakhtiari and Garvin, the other non-participants on the opening practice day were Kevin King (hip/knee) and Malik Taylor (abdomen).
On the positive side of the endless negative medical news, running back Aaron Jones was back at work.
Aaron Jones back on Hinkle Field.
Recovering from a sprained MCL, Jones has missed two games. Matt LaFleur indicated a decision on whether he can play against the Rams will made by week’s end. Rashan Gary (elbow) and Allen Lazard (shoulder) were also back.
Now, on to the ball game. After playing more road games than anyone in the league through the first 11 weeks, the Packers finish with four of their last six at Lambeau. Sunday’s opponent is coming off their bye and they’ve had a couple weeks to stew over dropping back to back games. LaFleur was a colleague of Head Coach Sean McVay back in their Washington days together and defensive coordinator Joe Barry was on McVay’s first staff when he got the job.
LaFleur said the Rams are talented across the board and before practice Wednesday, talked about three of their premier players, beginning with former Detroit Lion quarterback Matthew Stafford who has been invigorated by the chance of scenery from the Motor City to the west coast.
In last January’s playoff game, the Packers piled up 484 yards, 188 rushing yards against the league’s top scoring defense in the 32-18 victory that propelled them to the NFC Championship Game. Thoughts on how they can pull off a repeat performance will be posted later this week.
Some other pre-holiday notes.
The Packers have announced more than 138,000 shares of the 6th stock offering have sold in the first week. The team is offering 300,000 shares at $300.00 each to help fund Lambeau Field improvement projects.
Charles Woodson will be honored at halftime of Sunday’s game as a 2021 class member inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Woodson already had one ring presentation ceremony in Las Vegas where he was honored by the Raiders.
Former safety LeRoy Butler has been named a semifinalist for the class of 2022. It’s the 5th consecutive year Butler has been among the semifinalists. He advanced to the final 15 a year ago but did not receive enough votes for enshrinement. He’s the only member of the All Decade Team of the 1990’s not to be added to the Hall. Maybe this will be his year.
A final thought.
I made the trip to Minneapolis last weekend and I’ll make another one tomorrow as both my children live in the Twin Cities and I’ll get to do what I hope both my readers and listeners can do, spend the holiday with the most important people in your lives, family. If something really important happens while I’m away (and it’ll have to be bigger than a peek at a quarterback’s little toe), I’ll write about it, but if not, enjoy a break and have a Happy Thanksgiving.
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