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The Green Bay Packers are “hopeful” about rookie wide receiver Jayden Reed’s chances of playing in their regular-season finale next week, but they are still working to determine the extent of his injuries after Week 17’s divisional win.
Reed, a 2023 second-round pick, put on a show for the Packers in the first half of their 33-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on New Year’s Eve, catching six of his eight targets for 89 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help Green Bay seize an early lead.
In the second half, though, the Packers pulled Reed and ruled him out with a chest injury that he later said he aggravated while taking a late hit on a fair catch. Head coach Matt LaFleur also added in the postgame that the team’s medical staff took Reed into the locker room to run a variety of tests on him, including a CT scan.
“He was ruled out,” LaFleur said Sunday night when asked if their first-half lead played a role in pulling Reed. “Matter of fact, I’m not quite sure where we’re at with him. They took him for some tests and CT and scans and all that. We’re hopeful. Hopefully, he’ll be alright for next week. I know if there’s anybody who can get through it, it’s him.”
On January 1, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport further clarified the situation with Reed, reporting that the Packers’ star rookie “will have further tests on his ribs [on Monday] after negative X-rays.” He added it is “safe to say his status for Week 18 is in doubt.”
Jayden Reed’s Injuries Raise Concern for Week 18
Reed dropping out of Week 17’s win over the Vikings might not be as concerning if not for the fact that he has been battling a variety of injuries for a few months now.
Reed has been on the injury report for the past six weeks, beginning in Week 12 when the Packers initially flagged his chest injury. Since then, the rookie has missed just five total practices, but three of those missed practices came in Week 16 when the team started listing a toe injury along with his chest issue. Reed also missed that week’s game against the Carolina Panthers on Christmas Eve.
“He’s been battling all season,” LaFleur said Sunday. “He’s had a lot of pain, let’s just put it that way. And for him to go out there and put on a performance like that [against the Vikings] I thought was huge, coming away with two touchdowns. And just seeing this guy, how gritty he is, he’s as tough as they come.”
The Packers would certainly lose an element of their passing game if Reed could not suit up against the Chicago Bears in their regular-season finale, especially with fellow wideout Christian Watson still missing time with a hamstring injury. On the plus side, though, Reed signaled things are trending in the right direction for him after the game.
“I’m doing great,” Reed wrote when asked how he was doing on X (formerly Twitter).
Jayden Reed Breaks Rookie WR Record for Packers
Regardless of whether Reed plays in Week 18, the Packers’ second-round rookie has already etched his name into the franchise’s history books with his impressive play.
Reed’s third catch against the Vikings marked No. 56 for him on the season, which officially pushed him past Packers legend Sterling Sharpe for most receptions by a rookie in franchise history. By the end of the night, Reed had extended his record to 60 total receptions and pushed himself into the top five of two other rookie receiving categories with 681 receiving yards (fourth) and eight receiving touchdowns (third).
Reed would need 111 receiving yards in the season finale against the Bears to move up to No. 3 on the team’s all-time rookie receiving yards list, which might be a tough ask if he is still hurting from his injury. Moving up on the touchdowns list might be more attainable, though. He sits just one score away from tying Max McGee’s second-best nine rookie receiving touchdowns in 1954. Billy Howton’s 13 in 1952 rates first overall.
The Packers (8-8) are now facing a Week 18 win-and-in scenario for the playoffs for the second consecutive season. They will host the playoff-eliminated Bears (7-9) at Lambeau Field at 4:25 p.m. Eastern Time next Sunday, January 4.
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