The Pack is back for its final four game stretch of a turbulent 5-8 season seeking to finish up with a winning streak and hoping to play at least one more, somewhere. It’s a stretch to think it can happen when this team hasn’t won back to back games since September. London bound at 3-1, Head Coach Matt LaFleur’s team lost it’s way coming back home. They were up 17-3 on the Giants at Tottenham, 14-3 at the Commanders place and lost them both, to teams they’re now hoping to collapse to give them a shot at the Wild Card shot. A tough fight against the Bills was followed by the loss to Detroit, a team they could catch in the finale if it gets to that point. They didn’t follow up the emotional Dallas victory by falling to a Tennessee team that’s been falling since. A glimpse of Jordan Love in a Philly fight and the harder than it should have been sweep of the Bears has this team on the edge of the post-season cliff.
Made me wonder, if this season takes just one more turn south and after seeing my lead photo of practice with Lambeau in the background…. is the construction going on outside a prelude to a roster re-construction inside the stadium?
Let’s start with biggest elephant in the room. The quarterback choice if the Packers are eliminated from the post-season. Does Aaron Rodgers go the distance or will Jordan Love get more regular season game reps?
Is healing Aaron Rodgers still this far in front of Jordan Love?
There are pro’s and con’s to both arguments. The case to play Rodgers begins with the fact he’s the unquestioned starter and will be as long he’s around. If the return of Romeo Doubs equals the explosive production of Christian Watson over the past month, it behooves Rodgers to get as many snaps with his future top receiving tandem as possible, considering he’s not around much in the entire off-season program. Even though Aaron told the Pat McAfee show Tuesday the thumb is doing way better and the ribs have improved, sparing the now 39 year old body more shots the rest of the month might not be a bad thing. For Love, the biggest upside would be playing winning football, not just boosting his rep totals. GM Brian Gutekunst thinks he has seen enough of Love in three years with the system but Packer fans have only seen open camp practices, a handful of pre-season games and three regular season road shows, in Kansas City, Detroit and this year, Philly. Big decisions from and about the quarterbacks are coming whenever this season wraps.
Will David Bakhtiari get back from his appendectomy by the new year? He was the only player who didn’t participate in the brief practice today. It’s been just a handful of games for the All Pro left tackle since the end of the 2020 season. At his price, a real risk-reward debate is coming at a critical offensive position.
Don’t want to get ahead of ourselves with four more games to play but free agents to be include the likes of Mason Crosby, Adrian Amos, Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis and Allen Lazard. The disappointment of a non-playoff year, possibly a double digit loss season could result in some real, roster hand wringing.
Rodgers, throwing tape free on his right thumb, tossed balls to his preferred five receivers today. Doubs sounded very optimistic about returning Monday night against the Rams. He’s been out since suffering the high ankle sprain in Detroit a month ago. If he dresses, this will mark only the second game this year that Lazard, Randall Cobb, Sammy Watkins, Watson and Doubs will be suited. In the home opener against the Bears in week 2, Waktins had the big day with three grabs for 93 yards, Cobb and Watson also had three receptions while Lazard and Doubs had two each. One or more have been out every week since. Better late than never.
Two other players with medical concerns heading into the bye appear to have recovered nicely. Aaron Jones who dealt with a shin injury and Darnell Savage who injured his foot on his only snap in Chicago were back practicing.
The Packers also made some practice squad changes. Gutekunst announced the signing of two offensive linemen, one who spent time with the team in training camp. Center Michal Menet returns and rookie tackle Jean Delance from the University of Florida has joined the squad. He went undrafted and signed with the Bears and after getting cut this summer, spent a couple of weeks on the Arizona practice squad. To make room, the Packers waived defensive lineman Jack Heflin who appeared in a couple games last year and veteran wide receiver Dede Westbrook.
