While the Green Bay Packers were looking forward to having a full arsenal of offensive weapons for Sunday’s rivalry showdown versus the Chicago Bears, they may be without a key piece in the run game after missing another day of practice.
RB AJ Dillon Did Not Participate in Thursday’s Practice for the Green Bay Packers
AJ Dillon, who has been dealing with different injuries throughout the season missed his second consecutive practice on Thursday due to a thumb and neck injury.
Dillon has been able to play through the pain of the thumb injury, suiting up for Green Bay’s last two games and taking his normal snaps behind Aaron Jones. During Sunday’s game versus the Minnesota Vikings, Dillon got taken out early due to a neck stinger and was not seen for the rest of the contest.
With Dillon not seeing any on-field work so far this week, he may be trending in the wrong direction leading up to the last week in the regular season. Dillon will still have one more opportunity to suit up for practice before the Packers officially make a ruling on his status.
Rookie WR Jayden Reed Participated in Thursday’s Practice, On Track to Suit Up versus Chicago Bears
Jayden Reed, who was taken out of Sunday’s matchup versus the Vikings with a chest injury he re-aggravated, participated in Thursday’s practice. Reed hauled in 6 catches for 89 yards and 2 touchdowns after being taken out of the contest.
WOW: #Packers rookie WR Jayden Reed has been targeted 48 times without any drops since week 10, the most in the #NFL during that span.
(Via @PFF_Packers) pic.twitter.com/QjYOmnjlAW
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 3, 2024
With Christian Watson being on the sidelines for the past few weeks with injuries, Reed has stepped up as Jordan Love’s primary target and broken franchise records in the process. Reed passed Sterling Sharpe for the most receptions by a Packers rookie last week versus Minnesota and currently has the most targets without a drop in the NFL (48).
With Reed, Watson and Dontayvion Wicks all practicing Thursday, Green Bay could have all their receivers healthy for the first time in over a month.
If Green Bay defeats Chicago in the regular season finale, they will clinch a playoff spot and be seeded depending on the Los Angeles Rams versus San Francisco 49ers outcome. Losing to Chicago would put the Packers fate in the hands of multiple teams and would give them a slim chance at a playoff spot.
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