The Green Bay Packers (2-1) are set to take on the Detroit Lions (2-1) tonight on Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime. Both teams are coming off of Week Three wins on Sunday and a short week of preparation for the game.
Due to the short week, both teams have star players that have already been ruled out due to injury. David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, and De’Vondre Campbell were ruled on on Wednesday. Bakhtiari is still dealing with his nagging knee injury, Jenkins has a sprained MCL that he suffered against the Atlanta Falcons, and Campbell injured his ankle against the New Orleans Saints.
Stars Aaron Jones, Christian Watson, and Jaire Alexander are officially listed as questionable. However, NFL insider Tom Pelissero revealed that two of them are expected to play tonight while one of them will remain out.
The Green Bay Packers Expect Aaron Jones and Christian Watson to Play vs the Detroit Lions
In a segment on Good Morning Football, Pelissero revealed that his sources told him that the Packers expect both Jones and Watson to play on Thursday night, albeit on limited on snaps:
#Packers RB Aaron Jones and WR Christian Watson are expected to play tonight, though the team will be careful with their workload. Meanwhile, #Lions RB David Montgomery and LT Taylor Decker aren’t expected to play, but CB Emmanuel Moseley will make his debut. @gmfb @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/cH5Zu1Yeqp
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 28, 2023
Jones has not played since the Packers’ Week One win against the Chicago Bears, a game in which he put up 127 all purpose yards and scored two touchdowns. Having him back in even a limited role will do a great deal to boost the Packers’ run game, which as struggled in his absence.
Watson will be making his season debut, coming off of a hamstring injury that he suffered in the final week of training camp. He had 41 receptions for 611 yards and seven touchdowns last season.
The Green Bay Packers Will Not Have Jaire Alexander on the Field
Unfortunately, Pelissero also states that two-time cornerback Jaire Alexander will miss his second consecutive game with a back injury. Alexander suffered the injury in practice before the team’s Week Three game against the New Orleans Saints.
Missing Alexander is going to be tough on the Packers due to Lions’ wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown being healthy enough to play. He was previously questionable with a toe injury. The rest of the Packers’ secondary is going to be tested once again without their best playmaker.
The Detroit Lions Will Be without Running Back David Montgomery
Pelissero did mention, too, that the Lions will be without running back David Montgomery who has a thigh bruise. Montgomery, formerly of the Chicago Bears, has never beaten the Packers in his career.
The Lions, like Green Bay, will also be missing their starting left tackle. Taylor Decker being out is a big blow for the Detroit offense, and with Rashan Gary getting more and more snaps, could spell trouble for quarterback Jared Goff.
Edit:
Correction: #Lions RB David Montgomery and LT Taylor Decker ARE playing tonight against the #Packers. CB Emmanuel Moseley is NOT playing.
There was a miscommunication, and I will just have to eat this one. I apologize for the error.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 28, 2023
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