The Green Bay Packers are rounding into form as they head into what should prove a shootout against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Week 7 — a game paradigm that renders the injury to rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse all the more important.
Cisse left the Packers’ win over the Dallas Cowboys last week with a little more than half of the final quarter remaining. He suffered a stinger that Cisse said rendered his arm numb.
The Packers listed the cornerback as a limited practice participant on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday due to what the team described as a shoulder/neck injury, per its official injury report as shared to X by Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Cisse spoke with reporters on Thursday, saying that he will be in the starting lineup against the Lions this coming Sunday, even though the injury report previously indicated that there was a chance that might not be the case.
“I’m rehabbing and doing good,” Cisse said, per Bill Huber of ON SI.
Brandon Cisse Has Been Packers’ 2nd-Best Cornerback This Season, per Advanced Metrics
A second-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft, Cisse has started all six games for the Packers this season. However, health concerns have forced him out of half of those contests early.
Cisse has tallied 25 combined tackles, including one tackle for loss, four pass breakups, two quarterback hits, 1.5 sacks and an interception across 370 total defensive snaps, which accounts for 88 percent of the Packers’ snaps in that phase of the game. He has also played 11 snaps on special teams.
According to Pro Football Network’s player impact score, Cisse’s grade is a 73.2 through six games, which ranks him 63rd in the position group league-wide. He will presumably continue to climb those rankings as his experience level increases, particularly if he can remain healthy and on the field full-time moving forward.
Keisean Nixon is the only CB on the Packers’ roster who PFN ranks higher than Cisse, coming in at 18th overall with a player impact score of 82.5 through Week 6.
Packers Running Back Josh Jacobs Returns to Action Against Lions in Week 7
Any meaningful plays Cisse can make against the Lions should prove immensely important, even if they number only one or two, given that Detroit currently sports the fourth-best offense in the NFL at 393.8 yards per game gained. Meanwhile, the Lions are dead last in the league in defense, surrendering 404.4 yards per contest.
The Packers will have running back Josh Jacobs on the sideline in Detroit, which should help the team improve upon its league-worst rushing offense. Running the ball more effectively and controlling the clock/time of possession is a way Green Bay’s offense can help its defense against the Lions’ prolific attack.
DraftKings Sportsbook currently lists the Lions as three-point home favorites coming off their bye week, while the website projects the over/under for the total game score at 53.5 points as of Friday evening.
Packers’ Brandon Cisse Sends 5-Word Injury Message Before Lions Showdown