The Green Bay Packers have officially announced that the following players will be questionable going into this weekend’s playoff action against the Chicago Bears: quarterback Malik Willis (shoulder/hamstring),
receiver Dontayvion Wicks (concussion), right tackle Zach Tom (back/knee), defensive tackle Warren Brinson (foot), linebacker Nick Niemann (pectoral) and safety Javon Bullard (knee). Earlier this week, LaFleur stated that both Willis and Tom are expected to suit up versus the Bears, and he also noted on Thursday that Tom was simply given a rest day today, the reason for his non-participation in practice.
The fact that Wicks is still in the concussion protocol is a little concerning, considering that he’s been in the protocol for almost two full weeks at this point. If there’s any injury that can hold a player out of action against Chicago, it’s probably him.
Both LaFleur and Bullard said that Bullard is “okay” after the knee injury that he suffered in Week 18. If I had to put my money on it, he will go. If Bullard is out, though, his injury replacement in the slot would be safety Kitan Oladapo, as cornerback Nate Hobbs is currently on the injured reserve.
Niemann was brought up from the injured reserve this week. If he doesn’t play, assume that practice squad linebacker Jamon Johnson will be elevated to the gameday roster to play some special teams.
The Brinson injury seems new, or at least something he suffered against the Minnesota Vikings that didn’t knock him out of the game. Brinson did not appear on the injury report last week, going into the Vikings game.
Notably, defensive end Lukas Van Ness, who has been dealing with a nagging foot injury that he suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals, was a full participant throughout this week and wasn’t given a game status. One of the few bright spots of the Packers’ loss against the Baltimore Ravens was that Van Ness finally looked like he was playing at full health for the first time since his foot problems started up. He did not play last week, when Green Bay attempted to wrap every significant contributor on the team in bubblewrap for the postseason.
Running back Josh Jacobs also didn’t appear on the injury report at all this week, for the first time since going down with a knee injury against the New York Giants. Jacobs claims that his knee swelling problems are behind him now and that going into this game, he feels the best he has since prep for the Giants.
If you want to read up on the Bears’ end of the injury report, you can find it HERE.
