Packers All-Pro Trends Toward Week 18 Return, O-Line Starter Clears IR

The Green Bay Packers are getting healthy at the perfect time, which has to be a scary thought for the rest of the NFC.

At the top of the list of Packers players trending toward an imminent return is All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, who has been a full participant at practice throughout the week thus far. Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur spoke to the lineman’s status for Week 18 against the Detroit Lions.

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Tom Silverstein, of the Milwuakee Journal Sentinel, took to Twitter on Thursday, January 6 to recount LaFleur’s press conference comments.

“#Packers coach Matt LaFleur said that T David Bakhtiari had a very good day at practice yesterday, will use Thursday as a conditioning day and then practice again Friday,” Silverstein wrote.

LaFleur added somewhat coyly that just because Bakhtiari hits all of his targets this week, should he happen to do so, that would not guarantee the lineman would see the field against the Lions in Green Bay’s final regular season game Sunday. The all-world left tackle getting a shot to play for the first time this year would, however, “be part of the discussion.”

Bakhtiari tore his ACL in 2020 and underwent multiple surgeries, suffering several subsequent setbacks that have kept him sidelined for the entirety of 2021.

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Fellow Starter on Packers’ O-Line Designated for Return From IR

Bakhtiari is not the only starter along the Green Bay offensive line poised to make a return in time for the Packers’ first playoff game.

Rookie center Josh Myers was also designated for return from the injured reserve list (IR) on Wednesday. The Packers selected Myers in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft to replace the departed Cory Linsley, who left in the offseason for the Los Angeles Chargers and the richest contract signed by a center in league history.

Myers appeared in and started five games for the Packers this season before injuring his knee and subsequently undergoing surgery in late October. Green Bay designated the lineman for return on January 5, though that only means he is allowed to resume practicing. He could be cleared to play, though it is rather unlikely Myers would see action in the team’s meaningless season finale against the Lions — especially after the Packers already locked up the top seed and the NFC’s sole bye with a win last weekend over the Minnesota Vikings.

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Bye Week Could Prove Huge to Packers’ Offensive Line Health

Getting a pass through Wildcard Weekend is monumental for Green Bay for a couple of reasons.

First, and most obviously, it exempts them from one opportunity to lose. The Packers will enter the tournament with home field advantage until a hypothetical Super Bowl appearance just two wins shy of playing for a ring with the playoff field already cut essentially in half.

Secondly, Green Bay’s chances to appear in, and win, the Super Bowl are vastly improved by adding two healthy starters along their offensive line for the postseason run.

The NFC playoff picture is not yet set in stone, with the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints still competing this weekend for the last unsecured position. Who the Packers play in the Divisional Round will depend on which team ends up the lowest seed to advance.

But regardless of the opponent, the game will take place at Lambeau Field with Green Bay listed as the odds-on favorite. After adding Bakhtiari and Myers back, it is hard for any Packers fan to ask for more than that.

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