The Green Bay Packers put up a valiant fight, but they ended up suffering a brutal 20-17 loss at the hands of their NFC North rival, the Detroit Lions, in Week 7. There were several opportunities for the Packers to prevail in this contest, but they could not get out of their own way, as a handful of self-inflicted mistakes ended up destroying their hopes of earning their fifth win of the year.
As if losing wasn’t bad enough, Green Bay suffered some tough injuries in this loss, too. Just when it was starting to get some momentum going with its offensive line, the team lost starting center Sean Rhyan to an ankle injury early in this game. Rhyan was unable to return after his departure from this contest, and it sounds like he is going to miss a couple of weeks of action as a result of this ailment.
Packers Lose Sean Rhyan to High Ankle Sprain
The Packers’ 2026 campaign nearly went off the rails early because of how many offensive line injuries they suffered. The team’s preferred starting group from Week 1 has seen Zach Bako-Bewele, Jacob Monk, and Donovan Jennings all miss time, with backups like Aaron Banks and Jager Burton also being banged up in recent weeks.
The glue of this unit has been Rhyan, who has suited up in every game and successfully made the transition from guard to center. However, he didn’t last very long in this game before he suffered an injury, and with Monk also leaving this game early with his own injury and Burton being ruled out beforehand, that forced John Williams, who is really the fourth-string center, into action.
Anytime a player can’t return to a game because of an injury, it typically isn’t a good sign. The good news for Green Bay is that it avoided the worst-case scenario with Rhyan, but he has still suffered a high-ankle sprain, which is expected to keep him off the field for the next four to six weeks.
Packers C Sean Rhyan, who left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, is believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain, sources say,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported in a post on X. “X-Rays were negative, and he has an MRI today. But high-ankle sprains are often 4-6 week injuries.”
Packers Need to Quickly Find Answers for Their O-Line
Losing Rhyan hurts, especially because the depth at the center position behind him isn’t particularly great. Maybe Monk will be able to overcome his quad injury, but he also didn’t return after his early departure, so it seems like Williams may be pressed into a spot start, unless Green Bay wants to bring an external option to town.
With a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Carolina Panthers awaiting in Week 8, though, the Packers don’t really have much time to find answers ahead of their upcoming contest. Rhyan could wind up on injured reserve because of this injury, but right now, the main concern is figuring out who will be starting at center in his absence for the team’s upcoming clash against the Panthers.
Packers Receive Discouraging Injury News on Star Offensive Lineman