The Green Bay Packers were able to watch Wild Card Weekend from the comfort of their homes, as they rested and prepared for Divisional Round weekend in the NFL Playoffs. On top of being the top overall seed, the Packers look to be getting healthier headed into the weekend. On Tuesday, head coach Matt LaFleur gave a Jaire Alexander and Za’Darius Smith injury update that should make Packer fans quite happy.
Za’Darius Smith Injury Update
The bye week was important for the Green Bay Packers. Last week, the Za’Darius Smith injury update was a positive one. We saw him return to practice and slowly ramp up his speed. Now, LaFleur is “hopeful” the stud edge rusher will be ready to go on Saturday.
The second-team All-Pro outside linebacker from a year ago has played only 18 snaps this season, with all coming in Week 1. Smith underwent back surgery to fix a nagging injury. Now, he looks to be active on Saturday against the San Francisco 49ers, barring any setbacks. However, it would make sense for him to be more of a situational player since Smith is still working himself back to game shape.
Jaire Alexander Injury Update
Za’Darius Smith was expected to play this week, but the Jaire Alexander injury update was more of a question mark. Following a shoulder injury in Week 4, the second-team All-Pro cornerback has been sidelined. The question of whether or not he would get surgery was a real one, though getting shoulder surgery would have ended his season.
While offseason surgery is still on the table, LaFleur is also “hopeful” Alexander plays this week. He will be practicing with pads and testing his shoulder on Tuesday. So, Wednesday and Thursday will be telling to see how his body reacts.
The three points of interest with the Jaire Alexander injury are pain tolerance, range of motion and risk of further injury. He spent all of this time out healing his shoulder to a point where the risk of further injury declines. After Tuesday, he should have a better idea of his pain tolerance and range of motion in pads. Alexander may also be wearing a type of brace or sleeve that limits his range of motion, but improves his risk of injury. If this is the case, it will be interesting to see how well he is able to play the ball.
Regardless, Packers fans have to feel good. Not only does the road to the Super Bowl go through Lambeau Field, they look to be dropping two All-Pro players back into their lineup, not to mention David Bakhtiari also returned last game.
