The Packers got a scare with Zaire Franklin in practice, but the early read on his injury points to a short absence rather than a long-term setback.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Franklin missed last week’s game after getting accidentally kicked in practice and ended up with a hairline fracture in his leg. Green Bay did not place him on Injured Reserve, and the belief is that he can come back while missing only a minimal number of games.
That matters because Franklin has been one of the steadier pieces on the Packers’ defense this season. He’s second on the team in tackles and has also logged two quarterback hits, a forced fumble and a pass breakup.
There’s also some optimism that the timing could line up with additional help. Micah Parsons is still working through his ACL rehab and continues to make progress, with a return in the coming weeks possible. When he’s on the field, the defense looks different.
Even without Parsons, Green Bay has managed to stay solid. The unit just held the Dallas Cowboys to 13 points last week, and Franklin had a strong view of where this defense is headed.
“I think it's just a credit to who we can be…Obviously we've got a lot of things we can clean up but I feel like we are a defense on the rise, every week we continue to get better and better…We got some stuff to clean up but I think the ceiling is extremely high.”
If the Packers can keep defending like this while getting key contributors back, they’ll have plenty to feel good about on that side of the ball.
In Other News...
Packers Loss Fueled A Ref Debate Fans Wont Let Go
The Packers 20-17 loss to Detroit was decided by Jake Bates game-winning field goal, but the final score only told part of the story. The afternoon also turned into a showcase for officiating debate, with the game marked by a string of controversial flags, including roughing-the-passer calls against Green Bay and an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Lions that kept drawing attention throughout the broadcast.
Tom Brady added to the noise from the Fox booth, pushing back hard on several of the rulings and making it clear he did not agree with how the game was being officiated. For Packers fans, the frustration was obvious: a divisional game slipped away in the final moments, and the calls around it only gave them more to argue about long after the kick sailed through. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Win Sparked A Postgame NFL Reaction Packers Fans Hated
Frustration spilled well beyond the final whistle after Green Bays 20-17 loss to Detroit, with Xavier McKinney taking aim at the officiating and making clear he was willing to risk a fine if it meant saying what he thought. The postgame mood around the Packers only sharpened when Fox analyst Tom Brady also questioned several calls against Green Bay, including a roughing the passer penalty that drew plenty of second-guessing from viewers and fans alike.
Social media only made the sting worse for Packers supporters when the league itself got pulled into the conversation. The NFL posted a celebratory clip tied to a key late penalty against Green Bay, and the reaction from fans was immediate, with many seeing it as a tone-deaf move that felt less like neutral coverage and more like the league piling on a team already furious about the way the game was officiated. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Loss To Lions Sparks A Frustrated Micah Parsons Response
Green Bays 20-17 loss to Detroit left the Packers with more than a tough result to digest. A walk-off field goal ended the game after the Lions benefited from a roughing-the-passer penalty, and the finish only added to the frustration around a night when Green Bay also left points on the field with two missed field goals and a costly interception by Jordan Love.
Even while rehabbing a knee injury and not playing, Micah Parsons made his displeasure clear afterward on social media, a reaction that fit the mood around a game the Packers let get away. The officiating call became the flash point, but it landed against a backdrop of missed chances that made an already painful division loss feel even harder to swallow. [Read more 🡒]