Chargers Injury Report: Packers May Be Without 4 Key Defenders Vs LA.
Your Los Angeles Chargers, who could be missing some unusual suspects on offense, in addition to the usual ones (wide receiver Mike Williams, running back Joshua Palmer and right tackle Andrew Trainer), could be treated to some surprise injury luck on the other side of the field this Sunday.
At 4-5, LA is looking to rebound from a 41-38 loss to the class of the NFC North, the 7-2 Detroit Lions, last weekend. An inferior divisional opponent, the 3-6 Green Bay Packers, will play host to the Bolts this weekend.
Per Packers.com, Green Bay could be without up to four key defenders as the club looks to mount something of a last stand to preserve its fading postseason hopes.
Packers linebackers Rashan Gary and Quay Walker, plus cornerback Jaire Alexander, are all doubtful to suit up. Gary suffered his injury, a shoulder ailment, in a team practice.
Safety Rudy Ford, dealing with a biceps injury, is considered doubtful to play, a more discouraging designation.
Alexander, meanwhile, has a shoulder injury, while Walker is struggling with a groin issue.
Read More: Packers: Alexander’s playing status unclear; other DBs still on mend.
GREEN BAY — Jaire Alexander pondered the question for a moment.
Did he get the sense, the Green Bay Packers two-time second-team All-Pro cornerback was asked, that head coach Matt LaFleur and the coaching staff were growing frustrated with the way his 2023 season is playing out?
After all, the shutdown cornerback has been shut down for a significant portion of the season, as the Packers head into this Sunday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers at Lambeau Field.
And LaFleur has struggled to hide his exasperation with the amount of time Alexander has missed.
First, Alexander missed three games in a five-game span with a back injury, sustained in a collision with practice-squad quarterback Alex McGough when McGough was playing tight end on the scout team.
Alexander returned to action for the Packers’ Nov. 5 win over the Los Angeles Rams — a game for which he earned a game ball from LaFleur after tipping a Brett Rypien pass that was intercepted by rookie safety Anthony Johnson on the deflection, and registering a team-high seven tackles (six solo) while playing all 58 snaps — only to miss last week’s loss at Pittsburgh with a shoulder injury.
GREEN BAY — Jaire Alexander pondered the question for a moment.
Did he get the sense, the Green Bay Packers two-time second-team All-Pro cornerback was asked, that head coach Matt LaFleur and the coaching staff were growing frustrated with the way his 2023 season is playing out?
After all, the shutdown cornerback has been shut down for a significant portion of the season, as the Packers head into this Sunday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers at Lambeau Field.
And LaFleur has struggled to hide his exasperation with the amount of time Alexander has missed.
First, Alexander missed three games in a five-game span with a back injury, sustained in a collision with practice-squad quarterback Alex McGough when McGough was playing tight end on the scout team.
Alexander returned to action for the Packers’ Nov. 5 win over the Los Angeles Rams — a game for which he earned a game ball from LaFleur after tipping a Brett Rypien pass that was intercepted by rookie safety Anthony Johnson on the deflection, and registering a team-high seven tackles (six solo) while playing all 58 snaps — only to miss last week’s loss at Pittsburgh with a shoulder injury.
“Encouraging,” Alexander said of his practice participation. “Encouraging. Yeah.”
Asked what this season has been like for him with his injuries and the team’s 3-6 record, Alexander, who signed a four-year, $84 million contact extension in May 2022, Alexander replied, “It’s just a little bit of adversity. You know? I love being on the field, and when I’m not on the field, it hurts more than the injury. But I can’t control these things. So, I try not to get too upset about them.”
Meanwhile, both defensive coordinator Joe Barry and defensive passing-game coordinator Greg Williams acknowledged that Alexander’s absence has been problematic.
Not only has he missed time, but the team traded durable veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills at the Oct. 31 trade deadline, and 2021 first-round pick Eric Stokes has is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury he sustained in his return to game action following last year’s season-ending foot injury.
The Packers have also been without starting safety Darnell Savage, who is on IR with Stokes with a calf injury, and they could be without their other starter there, Rudy Ford, for the second time in three games. Ford missed the win over the Rams with a calf injury and now has missed two straight days of practice with a biceps injury sustained in Pittsburgh.
Without Alexander, Douglas and Stokes, the Packers started rookie seventh-round pick Carrington Valentine at Douglas’ old cornerback spot and former practice-squad player Corey Ballentine at Alexander’s spot. Both Valentine and Ballentine played well against the Steelers, although Pittsburgh’s second-year starting quarterback, Kenny Pickett, has struggled.
“It’s very frustrating. It’s frustrating for us; it’s even more frustrating for Ja because of the type of competitor he is,” Barry said. “He wants to be out there.
“I love what ‘CB’ and ‘CV’ have been able to do. I love that they’re getting an opportunity and taking advantage of it. but when you have a Jaire Alexander and a Darnell Savage and an Eric Stokes out of your secondary, yeah, it’s very frustrating.
“Hopefully, we’ll get all those guys back at some point and we’ll be able to get the band back together again. You can’t worry about that. But yeah, of course, it’s frustrating.”
Added Williams: “Obviously we want him out on the field because he’s one of our better players, but for me, it is, I’m frustrated for him because I know how bad he wants to be out there. … So I want it for him and I think everybody in this organization (does). Especially in our defensive backs rooms, we want it for him (because) he brings an energy to all of us when he’s out there.
“So, we’re working it out. But if (No.) 23 can be out there, we’d love to have him out there.”
Barry said the question now is whether Alexander will be able to practice for a second straight day on Friday. If so, it would lift the team’s hopes that that he could play against the Chargers and Allen.
“Anytime that a guy has been injured and been out and is able to do anything in practice, that’s a good sign. To have him out there today was great,” Barry said. “When a guy’s been out and he goes and practices, at least my mindset is always, you’re keeping your fingers crossed that when he comes in the next day, that he still feels good and doesn’t have a setback.”
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