The Green Bay Packers went into Sunday’s showdown against the Denver Broncos with 10 players having playing status designations on the final injury report, and the 19-17 loss at Empower Field did little to help the team’s increasingly dire injury situation.
Defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt, safety Darnell Savage, receiver Dontayvion Wicks and cornerback Eric Stokes went down with injuries in the first half and didn’t return, and tight end Luke Musgrave and receiver Christian Watson were injured in the second half. Receiver Jayden Reed, center Josh Myers and safety Rudy Ford all dealt with various injuries in-game.
“We had some adversity strike in terms of, it just seems like we have a lot of guys going down with injuries,” coach Matt LaFleur said post-game. “It’s just part of the game. At the end of the day, no one cares. The expectation is the same.”
The Packers went into the game without All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander and All-Pro linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, who are both battling lingering injuries.
Seemingly every step of the way this season, the Packers have been dealed a poor injury hand. Watson missed three games. David Bakhtiari is on injured reserve. Aaron Jones missed three games in a four-game stretch. Elgton Jenkins missed two games and has played through an injury during the last two.
Not only have the Packers lost three straight games and four of the last five, but LaFleur’s team will almost certainly have another lengthy injury report come Wednesday of next week.
Wyatt needed a cart to exit the field because of a knee injury. Stokes, who came off the PUP list on Saturday, suffered a hamstring injury covering a punt in his season debut. Savage aggravated an existing calf injury. Musgrave took a violent hit from Kareem Jackson and injured his ankle. Watson got hurt on a critical 2nd-and-20 play late in the fourth quarter.
The Packers host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Who will be available for LaFleur’s team? It’s a guessing game week to week and possession by possession in Green Bay in 2023.
