The Green Bay Packers did not get as lucky as they hoped they would in terms of injuries ahead of their Thursday Night Football game against the Detroit Lions.
The Packers officially ruled out four players — including wide receiver Romeo Doubs and star cornerback Jaire Alexander — in their final injury report for Week 14’s game against the Lions after some initial optimism about their statuses during the week.
Doubs returned to practice this week for the first time since he sustained his concussion in Week 12’s game against the San Francisco 49ers on November 24, participating in a limited capacity in all three sessions. He did not, however, clear the NFL’s concussion protocol, leaving the Packers without one of their top pass-catchers against the Lions.
Meanwhile, Alexander began the week as a limited participant in practice, but the team downgraded him to DNP (did not participate) for Wednesday’s final walkthrough. The two-time Pro Bowl cornerback has played just 10 defensive snaps over the past five weeks due to a knee injury and will now be inactive for a third consecutive game.
The Packers also ruled out cornerback Corey Ballentine (knee) and rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring) in their final injury report. Balentine injured his knee in Week 13’s win over the Dolphins but missed the entire week of practice. As for Cooper, he has not practiced since November 20 and will now miss his third straight game.
The Packers (9-3) will face the Lions (11-1) at Ford Field in Detroit for Thursday Night Football at 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time on December 5.
Dontayvion Wicks in Line for Big Opportunity vs. Lions
With Doubs unavailable against the Lions, Dontayvion Wicks should have another big opportunity to impress for the Packers in Thursday night’s prime-time lights.
Wicks played his highest percentage of offensive snaps (89%) in Week 13’s win over the Dolphins as a replacement starter for Doubs, catching four of his five passing targets for 30 yards. While the Packers continued to spread the ball between several playmakers — including tight end Tucker Kraft and running back Josh Jacobs — against Miami, he finished as Jordan Love’s second favorite wide receiver target behind Jayden Reed.
That should be the case once more against the Lions; although, Wicks will need to strive for a better outing than his first matchup of the season with Detriot in Week 9. In that matchup, Wicks caught none of his three targets as the Packers suffered a 24-14 loss.
Wick has 21 receptions for 247 yards and four touchdowns through the first 12 games.
Lions Also Rule Out 4 Players for Thursday Night Football
The Lions will also roll into Thursday Night Football’s matchup with four players ruled out on their final injury report, including two starters on their defensive line.
Following Wednesday’s practice, Detroit ruled out defensive end Josh Paschal (knee) and defensive tackles D.J. Reader (shoulder) and Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring). The team also ruled out veteran left tackle Taylor Decker (knee), who also missed the Lions game against the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving with the same injury.
The Lions already took precautions for their defensive line earlier in the week, signing defensive linemen Myles Adams and Jonah Williams to their 53-man roster. They also signed veteran linebacker Kwon Alexander to their active roster, providing their defense with depth after placing Malcolm Rodriguez on injured reserve on November 30.
