Getty Kenny Clark #97 of the Green Bay Packers waits during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Dignity Health Sports Park on November 03, 2019 in Carson, California.
The Green Bay Packers will be forced to play the second half of their 2020 season opener without their star nose tackle.
Kenny Clark went down with an apparent injury near the end of the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings on a play that resulted in a Jaire Alexander interception. Packers trainers briefly attended to him on the field before he stood up and accompanied them to the locker room.
Clark was not among his teammates when the Packers retook the field after halftime, and the team later declared him out for the remainder of the Week 1 game with a groin injury.
Injury updates: Kenny Clark (groin) & Lucas Patrick (shoulder) are both out for the game. #GBvsMIN
The Packers also saw offensive guard Lucas Patrick — who started at left guard on Sunday while Elgton Jenkins was spun out right tackle — go down earlier in the first half with a shoulder injury. His absence forced the Packers to move Jenkins back to left guard and bring in veteran Rick Wagner at right tackle partway through the half.
The shake-up of the Packers’ offensive line became necessary after Billy Turner, the presumed starter at right tackle, was ruled out with a knee injury that he suffered on Aug. 30 during the team’s live scrimmage. He has been sidelined in nearly every practice since, getting limited work earlier this week that proved fruitless for his Week 1 status.
The Packers also held out three others with injuries prior to Sunday’s kickoff, including safety/dime linebacker Raven Greene (quad), outside linebacker Randy Ramsey (groin) and defensive lineman Montravius Adams (toe). Ramsey has been ruled out since Friday.
Follow the Heavy on Packers Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
Clark’s Injury Deals Major Blow to Packers’ D-Line
The Packers made the bold decision to avoid adding to their defensive line during the 2020 offseason, trusting all five of their returning guys to make the improvements on their own after noticeable struggled in 2019. They re-invested in Clark, their best piece, with a record-setting, long-term contract extension, but no preseason essentially left the rest of the group in wait-and-see mode coming into Sunday’s opener.
Without Clark or Adams, the Packers were left with just Tyler Lancaster, Dean Lowry and second-year Kingsley Keke as their true defensive linemen. They also have undrafted rookie Willington Previlon and second-year Daylon Mack on the practice squad, but neither were included in the team’s two practice-squad elevations this week.
The Packers finished off the Vikings for a 43-34 victory, but much of that was a credit to Aaron Rodgers and the offense delivering an excellent afternoon. On the defensive side, the Packers looked rough at times with Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins scrambling for gain a few times against the defensive line. They also seemed to take their foot off the gas down the stretch with the Vikings scoring 24 points in the fourth quarter; though, never threatening.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur did not offer an update on Clark’s status following Sunday’s game, but his injury will be one of the most important to watch in the upcoming week as a central piece of their defense.
READ NEXT: Packers CB Jaire Alexander Levels Kirk Cousins for Safety [WATCH]