The Packers are heading into Thursday with a shortened roster and a few notable absences, as Green Bay ruled out four players for the matchup with the Falcons.
Receiver Jayden Reed, right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele, left guard Aaron Banks and defensive lineman Warren Brinson will not play. Reed and Bako-Bewele are dealing with major injuries, though neither has been placed on injured reserve. Brinson still hasn’t appeared in a game after getting hurt in warmups before the team’s Week 2 preseason game.
Banks’ absence stands out most. Just a day earlier, head coach Matt LaFleur said he would wait until 90 minutes before kickoff to decide on the lineman’s availability, but Green Bay has already shut him down.
The Packers also listed defensive linemen Anthony Campbell and Javon Hargrave as questionable. Campbell is dealing with an ankle issue, while Hargrave is working through knee and concussion concerns. Both were limited during the team’s two walkthrough practices this week.
That matters because Green Bay runs a 3-4 defense and needs five healthy bodies up front. With three injuries already on the line, the Packers could be down to Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, Jonathan Ford and rookie Chris McClellan against Atlanta. Their only practice-squad call-up option is Eric Johnson II, who joined the team just a week ago.
There was better news elsewhere on the report. Receiver Bo Melton, offensive linemen Anthony Belton and Donovan Jennings, linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, and cornerbacks Brandon Cisse and Benjamin St-Juste were all cleared to go.
Belton and Jennings are the likeliest replacements for Bako-Bewele and Banks at right tackle and left guard.
Atlanta enters the game in better shape. The Falcons have only one player ruled out, edge defender Samson Ebukam, who is dealing with a hamstring injury. Slot defender Billy Bowman, who was a full participant in practice all week, is listed as questionable.
In Other News...
Packers May Have Found Pass Rush Help At The Perfect Time
The pass rush has been one of Green Bays most watched areas early this season, and rookie edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton has started to give the defense a timely boost. Against the Jets, he put together a disruptive afternoon with six tackles, half a sack and two quarterback hits, the kind of activity that shows up on the stat sheet and in the pressure Washington? No, in the pressure he helped create on the opposing quarterback.
For a player taken 120th in the draft, that kind of early production is notable, especially when hes already ranking 15th among edge defenders in pass-rush win rate after two games. The Packers are always looking for help up front, and Dennis-Sutton has at least opened the door to a bigger role by outplaying several rookies selected ahead of him. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Secondary Just Lost Its Biggest Safety Net Before Packers Game
The Falcons defense took a significant hit this week when cornerback A.J. Terrell was placed on injured reserve after suffering a groin injury in a recent game. His absence comes with a real timing issue for Atlanta, too, because he now has to sit out at least four games, putting Week 7 as the earliest possible return. For a secondary that leans on him as its top coverage option, the loss changes the look of the group heading into a matchup that already had plenty of attention.
Atlanta filled the open roster spot by promoting defensive lineman Zach Harrison from the practice squad, but that move does not replace what Terrell gives the back end. For the Packers, it is the kind of development that can alter how a defense chooses to play on the perimeter and in the middle of the field, especially against an opponent that no longer has its biggest safety net available. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Face A Receiver Problem Bigger Than Week 3
Jayden Reeds injury has turned a promising early-season stretch into a far more uneasy stretch for the Packers, with the receiver leaving Sundays game against the Jets on a stretcher after a neck injury. Matt LaFleur said Reed is back in Green Bay and going through tests, but the team still does not have a recovery timeline, which leaves Green Bay trying to steady its offense without one of its most dynamic targets.
The immediate concern is Week 3 against the Falcons, where Reed is expected to miss the game and the Packers may have to adjust on the fly. Beyond that, the bigger issue is how long Green Bay could be without him, because this is the kind of injury that can ripple through a passing game well past one Sunday. [Read more 🡒]