The Green Bay Packers are a team that is preparing for a potentially season-defining stretch of their schedule. Those next three games are winnable, and they will likely make or break the team’s playoff hopes. Following the first practice of Week 12, the team listed 17 players on the injury report, raising concerns about their depth and readiness. Third tight end Tucker Kraft has been ruled out for the season with a torn right ACL B. This injury severely limits her team’s offensive firepower and versatility.
Receiver Jayden Reed is healing from a broken collarbone and foot. He’s still positive about coming back this year. The Packers have been racked with injuries from the start. As this latest wave threatens to derail those efforts, it saves what’s left of their 2019–2020 success on the field.
These injuries have made for a difficult stretch, but the Packers still went out last week and picked up a much needed 27-20 win over the New York Giants. Although they trailed against a team with only two wins this season, they demonstrated resilience and determination to pull off the win. This victory marked an important moment for the team, especially since they had gone 1-5 during a similar stretch last year.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur made it clear just how important the next slate of games are during his Wednesday press conference.
“You talk about this three-game stretch,” – Coach Matt LaFleur
He accepted the idea of putting an emphasis on the now, and not being consumed by the weight of postseason dreams.
“But really all that matters is this one game for us right now.” – Coach Matt LaFleur
The Packers opened their season with a punch! They exorcised one of their 2024 demons by beating the Detroit Lions in their opener. They equalized their entire NFC North win total from a year ago with that one game. They’ve floundered in competition against elite teams. They lost every one of those matches last season, finishing 0-6 against the Eagles, Lions and Vikings.
The Packers find themselves in second place in the mediocre NFC North and their current 3-4 record shows their upside along with their faults. Through 11 weeks of the season, they have played just one division opponent. That begs the question of how prepared the Broncos will be when important matchups come calling in the near future.
Signal caller Jordan Love Under center, the issue isn’t Love himself, who’s going through his first full season under center. His leadership will be needed especially in these next few weeks. This leaves the team in a difficult situation, particularly with injuries decimating their roster, including star running back and former first-round pick Josh Jacobs. Jacobs suffered a knee injury against the Ravens last week, and it’s unclear if he’ll be healthy for the Raiders’ first home game next week against the Steelers.
General Manager Brian Gutekunst emphasized the importance of growth and improvement as the season unfolds.
“Our growth area has to be when we’re at our best when the best is required,” – General Manager Brian Gutekunst
He praised the team’s competitive fire in all but one or two games. Yet closing them out remains a very formidable step.
“I think we competed at a high level in a couple of those games, but you’ve got to be able to close them out and finish them.” – General Manager Brian Gutekunst
As the Packers move on to face their next opponent, Coach LaFleur knows staying motivated will be essential.
“I mean, we just gotta focus on what’s right in front of us, and that’s to try to put together the best plan to go out and play a team that I think is an extremely tough football team and, shoot, they put it on us twice last year, so our guys will be motivated.” – Coach Matt LaFleur
The next wave of games will challenge the Packers’ mental toughness as much as their physical ability. With playoff implications hanging in the balance, every match is as important as the last. The big thing will be their ability to stay focused and be able to fend off injuries.
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