Injuries piling up for Packers ahead of Rams matchup on Sunday
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theramswire.usatoday.com]
Cameron DaSilva
The Rams will face one of their biggest tests of the season this week when they travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers at Lambeau Field. It’s a matchup between two 8-3 teams, both of which are almost sure to make the playoffs.
This is a golden opportunity for the Rams to earn a statement win, which would be their first since beating the Buccaneers in Week 3. They’ll be facing a banged-up Packers team that has seen the injuries pile up in recent weeks.
Against the Vikings on Sunday, Elgton Jenkins suffered what is feared to be a torn ACL, which would obviously sideline him for this weekend’s game against the Rams. He was filling in for David Bakhtiari at left tackle, who didn’t practice at all last week and could miss extended time with a knee injury.
That likely leaves Green Bay without its two best offensive linemen against the Rams, which will make it easier for Los Angeles to generate pressure on Aaron Rodgers. And speaking of Rodgers, he’s also dealing with an injury of his own. After Sunday’s loss, Rodgers said he’s “in a lot of pain” with his toe injury, calling it “very, very painful” and worse than turf toe.
He hopes it gets better throughout the week, but it seems probable that he won’t be 100% against the Rams. While no one’s going to mistake him for Josh Allen when it comes to mobility, he does use his legs to extend plays and pick up first downs when things break down.
The list of injured Packers doesn’t end there, though. Rashan Gary hyperextended his elbow in Week 10 and didn’t play against the Vikings on Sunday. Allen Lazard also has a shoulder injury and missed the loss to the Vikings, too.
Aaron Jones suffered a knee injury in Week 10 against the Seahawks and was initially expected to miss 1-2 games. He already missed Sunday’s game in Minnesota and his status for this weekend’s game against the Rams is still unclear, so his health will be something to monitor throughout the week.
The Rams are trending in the exact opposite direction injury-wise. They’re fresh off a bye week and have no major injury concerns coming out of their last game against San Francisco. Von Miller had an extra week for that ankle to heal, Odell Beckham Jr. will be a bigger part of the game plan and Dont’e Deayon should be back after missing Week 10.
