The Packers are heading into Week 9 with a mixed bag of injury news, and the biggest headline is still Micah Parsons. He’s back on the practice field, which is a major step in his recovery, but Green Bay is still a long way from putting him in a game. Parsons will not play Sunday against the Patriots, and the team is treating this as the start of the ramp-up period rather than a near-term return.
Parsons laid out just how serious the injury was when he spoke to reporters this week. He said he needed a “full lateral and medial meniscus repair including the ACL,” and added that he was on crutches for seven or eight weeks.
“I had a lot of damage done to my leg, and I think it’s a miracle that I’m even standing here today and opening my window this early,” Parsons said.
That helps explain why his return is expected to come more than 11 months after the injury he suffered last December. The Packers aren’t rushing him, and they don’t need to.
He’ll need practice time to get his conditioning back and to feel fully comfortable moving on the knee again. For now, Week 12 against the Los Angeles Rams on Thanksgiving Eve looks like the likeliest target.
Christian Watson, meanwhile, appears to be trending in the right direction after one of the stranger injury sequences you’ll see. He left Lambeau Field in an ambulance, went to the hospital, came back to the game, and still led the Packers in receiving.
Watson said he broke a rib, but he’s on the injury report for Week 9 and has practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday and Thursday. Given that he was cleared to return last week, he looks likely to suit up against New England.
There’s also uncertainty around several other Packers pieces. Zaire Franklin has missed the last two games with a hairline fracture in his leg, and he still hasn’t practiced.
That makes another missed game feel likely, even though there’s still time before Sunday. Matt LaFleur said Franklin is making progress, but the lack of practice points in one direction.
The encouraging part for Green Bay is that Ty’Ron Hopper and Isaiah McDuffie have filled in well, helping Jonathan Gannon’s defense dominate the Carolina Panthers last week.
MarShawn Lloyd is a new addition to the report, which is at least a good sign in the bigger picture after the injury problems he’s dealt with early in his career. He showed up Thursday with a knee issue, and the details remain fuzzy.
“Limited” could mean he started practice and had to stop, so Friday’s session and the final report should tell the story more clearly. If Lloyd can’t go, Kaleb Johnson would be next in line unless Chris Brooks is ready.
Keisean Nixon is another name to watch closely. He was limited Wednesday with a groin injury, then didn’t practice Thursday at all.
That’s usually not the kind of trend teams like to see. At this point, he looks questionable at best for Week 9, and Carrington Valentine would likely get the start if Nixon is sidelined.
There is better news on Sean Rhyan. LaFleur said Thursday that he does not believe Rhyan will go on injured reserve, which suggests the Packers think he can get back sooner than the four games he’d miss on IR.
That matters because Rhyan has been the most reliable player on an offensive line that has otherwise had its issues. With two games left before the bye, Week 12 against the Rams feels like a realistic return spot.
Green Bay could also get a lift in the backfield soon. The team opened Chris Brooks’ 21-day practice window, and he has already logged two limited practices this week.
Brooks has been out since suffering an ankle injury in the Week 4 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, missing the last four games on injured reserve. His return date is still unclear, but the Packers are at least getting him back into the mix.
That would matter. Brooks is the best blocker in the Packers’ running back room, and he’s also averaging 4.7 yards per carry this season, well ahead of Kaleb Johnson (3.7), MarShawn Lloyd (2.6), and Josh Jacobs (2.3).
In Other News...
Jordan Love Is At The Center Of A Heated NFC North Debate
Through the first eight weeks, the NFC North has turned into a quarterback debate with no easy answer, and Jordan Love has made sure Green Bay is part of the conversation. While the division has been judged through the lens of touchdown passes, sack rates and passer ratings, Loves play has stood out even as the Packers have dealt with their own team-wide challenges around him.
The bigger question is how much weight to give the numbers when the division is so tightly packed with different styles of success. Caleb Williams has brought strong play to Chicago, Jared Goff has been efficient in Detroit, and even the struggles tied to Kyler Murray have shaped the discussion, but Loves case keeps growing because he has delivered at a high level despite the circumstances. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Loves Latest Joke Will Hit Home For Frustrated Packers Fans
With the Packers sitting at 5-3 and trying to climb out of fourth place in the NFC North, Jordan Love found a little off-field comic relief this week. Love and his wife leaned into Halloween with a costume that poked fun at blind NFL referees, and the clip made its way to Matt LaFleur, who at least appreciated the joke.
It was the kind of light moment that can land differently when a fan base is already feeling the strain of an uneven start. Love has still put together a solid season through the air, but Green Bays margin for error remains slim, and even a harmless Halloween bit carries a little extra edge when every call and every result seems to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Kicking Problem Just Put Matt LaFleur In A Tough Spot
Special teams has become a real pressure point in Green Bay, and Trey Smacks uneven season is forcing the conversation into the open. Through eight games, the kicker has missed more kicks than anyone else in the league, with the kind of inconsistency that can quickly turn a routine drive into a problem for a team trying to stay on schedule.
Matt LaFleur addressed the situation in a recent media availability and made it clear the Packers are sticking with Smack for now. The coach said the team appreciates his resilience, a notable vote of confidence for a player who has still connected on 11 of 16 field goals and 16 of 19 extra points, even as the margin for error keeps shrinking. [Read more 🡒]