Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, Clay Matthews, Nick Perry, Damarious Randall, and Jahri Evans adds up to six. Now add Jason Spriggs (1 snap on Saturday), Richard Rodgers (2), Aaron Jones (4), Jordy Nelson (27), and Josh Jones (30). That’s 11 injured players, and I’m not counting Lucas Patrick, who played with a club on his left hand.
The Minnesota Vikings’ injury report coming into the game: defensive back Tramaine Brock, safety Andrew Sendejo, tackle Riley Reiff, and reserve cornerback Mackensie Alexander – all but third-stringer Brock played. Three Vikings also went out in this game, though none was a skills position player.
We can go further: Green Bay players who went on injured reserve earlier in the year include: Kentrell Brice, Bryan Bulaga, Kevin King, Ty Montgomery, Kyle Murphy, and Quinten Rollins.
I’ve previously pointed out that before you start predicting individual NFL game outcomes, you really need to review the injury statuses of the two teams. On the year, the Vikings have lost five players to injured reserve; Green Bay has lost 12.
The IR Factor in Making the Playoffs
The teams with the most players placed on IR this year are: the 49ers (20), the Redskins (19), the Texans and Giants (18 each), the Colts (17), and the Bears and Seahawks (16). How many playoff-bound teams do you see?
The teams with the fewest players going on IR are the Vikings, Cowboys, and Falcons (five each), the Steelers and Titans (six each), the Bills (seven), the Raiders (eight) and the Chiefs and Rams (nine each). How many teams do you see that are in the playoffs or still in the hunt?
Packers Injury Jinx Continues
Though it seems otherwise, the Green Bay Packers are in the middle most years when it comes to players lost to IR. However, one could get a better feel for the impact of injuries by refining the IR statistics to, say, count one point for each player on IR, add another point for starters, another point for skills position players, another point for star players, and add three more points for quarterbacks.
For the Packers in Saturday’s game, the team was without, or lost: its starting QB/biggest star, four defensive backs (all who’ve been starters this year), its two star pass rushers, two of its three key running backs, its two star wide receivers, and so on. That’s too much to overcome.
I understand that due to the team’s many injuries the Packers faced nearly impossible odds on Saturday. I can live with the loss, and even going scoreless. What’s alarming and disheartening, however, is the lack of urgency, spirit and desire that my team displayed.
I predicted that Packers pride would be at stake in this game – Packers pride lost.