Getty An ambulance was called to Green Bay Packers practice for a practice squad player.
The Green Bay Packers are preparing for the biggest game of their season in Week 18, but Thursday’s practice prior to their matchup against the Detroit Lions featured an unfortunate stoppage.
Brian Kerhin with FOX 11 News in Green Bay reported on Thursday, January 5 that an ambulance had been called to Packers practice at the Don Hutson Center due to an injury suffered to a practice squad player. While the player’s identity wasn’t initially announced, the injury was described as a leg/hip issue that required him to be transported by ambulance given the nature of the injury. No other details had initially been provided by the team at the time of the incident.
The injury comes in a week where the Packers have been relatively healthy compared to previous weeks. Green Bay’s injury report that same featured only two players, Josiah Deguara and Marcedes Lewis, as the only ones on the 53-man roster to not practice. Lewis’ absence was rest-related, while Deguara was dealing with a calf injury.
All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, who had missed multiple games after an appendectomy, was listed as limited in practice but participated on both Wednesday and Thursday. Meanwhile, superstar Aaron Rodgers had missed Wednesday’s practice but returned for Thursday.
Green Bay’s Unexpected Stars During Playoff Run
Things looked bleak for the Packers after going 4-8 to start the year. However, thanks to the emergence of some unlikely heroes, Green Bay is now one game away from a playoff berth in the NFC.
Rookie wide receiver Christian Watson caught fire after his early-season struggles. The second-round pick went on a four-game stretch where he racked up eight total touchdowns, and unique blend of size at 6’5″ and blazing play speed has forced teams to account for his ability to take the top off of any defense.
Defensively, veteran safety Rudy Ford has established himself as a starter after beginning the season primarily in a special teams role. The former Raiders safety’s emergence led to Darnell Savage being demoted, but has allowed the former first-round pick to serve in more of a slot/nickel role that helped him pick up a interception returned for a touchdown against the Vikings.
However, no one has had more of an unlikely impact during this stretch run than return specialist Keisean Nixon. After the Packers released Amari Rodgers, Nixon took over as the team’s return man and hasn’t looked back. Despite taking over halfway through the season, Nixon now leads the NFL in kickoff return yards, and his house call in Week 17 helped him earn NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
With players in all three phases having an unexpected impact, the Packers are suddenly rolling.
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With the Packers just needing a win in the regular season finale to make the playoffs, the team has been bust getting ready for their Week 18 rivalry game against the Detroit Lions.
Rodgers has sounded hopeful when talking about the team’s chances at both a playoff appearance and a Super Bowl run. The back-to-back MVP compared this season to the team’s 2010 run, which ended with the Packers being Super Bowl champions.
Meanwhile, the Packers are keeping their options open at kicker. After a pregame injury to backup kicker Ramiz Ahmed, the Packers brought in a potential kickoff specialist, signing Matt Ammendola to the practice squad. With Crosby’s declining leg strength and struggles with generating touchbacks on kickoff, the team could consider activating Ammendola to the gameday roster for Week 18.