Getty Images Rasul Douglas reacts after the Los Angeles Rams turned the ball during the first half on November 28, 2021.
Fresh off a bye week, the Green Bay Packers roster is on the cusp of getting a whole lot healthier.
Pro-Bowl linebacker Za’Darius Smith, Pro-Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander, and All-Pro offensive tackle David Bakhtiari could all “potentially” return to game action December 12 against the Chicago Bears, according to Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur.
No decisions had been made as of Monday afternoon, but LaFleur described the team’s attitude toward the prospective health of all three standout players as hopeful. He noted that the pictures regarding each of their returns will become much clearer by mid-week.
“You know, certainly we hope so,” LaFleur said of the Pro-Bowlers’ chances to be on the field Sunday. “Those guys are doing everything in their power, but we’ll see where we’re at on Wednesday and you guys will get updated then.”
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“These guys love the game. They love being with their teammates. They love competing. So I know that they’re itching to get back as soon as possible,” LaFleur continued. “We just want to make sure that there’s no extra risk for a setback because they’re an important part of this team. … We’re hopeful that we can get each one of those guys back.”
Already Tough Packers Defense About to get Much Stronger
GettyOutside linebacker Za’Darius Smith, of the Green Bay Packers, celebrates after winning 24-16 over the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field on December 19, 2020, in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Smith has been absent almost the entire year, sidelined since appearing in the Packers’ season-opening loss to the New Orleans Saints. The outside linebacker underwent back surgery in September. One of the most dominant pass rushers in the NFL over the prior two seasons, Smith would instantly upgrade a defense that has already proven formidable without him, particularly over the last month-plus.
Alexander sustained a shoulder injury during Green Bay’s Week 4 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite losing one of the best cornerbacks in the game, the Packers have remained consistent in pass defense.
“Our corners have done an outstanding job,” LaFleur told media members Monday. “Definitely have been really excited about guys like Rasul Douglas. I think (Eric) Stokes continues to get better each and every week. Kevin King, when he’s healthy and he’s been in there, I think he’s done a really nice job. He’s another guy that we’ve got to get back into the fold. And I also think guys at the nickel position, (Chandon Sullivan has) done a great job, as well.”
Packers Offensive Line has Outperformed Expectations all Season
GettyDavid Bakhtiari, of the Green Bay Packers, looks on during the fourth quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 13, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Bakhtiari, the left tackle and anchor of the Packers offensive line, resumed practicing back in October following an ACL tear he suffered in January. However, minor surgery was required a couple of weeks ago to clean up that knee and has kept the lineman sidelined.
If the defense has stood tall in the absences of Smith and Alexander, the offensive line has been a towering force of overachievement in the wake of a rash of injuries both before and throughout the year.
“When you lose Bakhtiari and you lose [Elgton] Jenkins and you lose Josh Myers — and oh yeah, Cory Linsley signed for the highest contract ever given to a center in the offseason — and you get better? That’s awesome,” Peter Schrager, of Fox Sports, said during the Thursday, December 2 edition of the Bill Simmons podcast.
He used the Packers’ November 28 victory over the Los Angeles Rams as context for his comments.
“Yosh Nijman and John Runyan Jr. and [Royce] Newman and Lucas Patrick, these are not famous offensive lineman and they absolutely manhandled Von Miller, Leonard Floyd and Aaron Donald last week,” Schrager continued.
The Packers are 9-3 on the season — one of those losses coming against the Kansas City Chiefs while quarterback and reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers was out. And absent all the injuries, it is beyond conceivable, almost likely, that Green Bay would have just one loss on the season.
The Pack is just one game back in the NFC, trailing only the Arizona Cardinals who they have already bested in head-to-head play earlier this season. Green Bay will host the Bears Sunday, while the Cardinals get the Rams at home.