As expected, the four starters the Green Bay Packers left back in Green Bay have now been officially ruled out. Those players are receiver Randall Cobb, safety Kentrell Brice, cornerback Kevin King and linebacker Nick Perry.
This will obviously mean playing time for some players who have had varying levels of that through the course of the season.
Rookie Marquez Valdes-Scantling has obviously moved into the Packers No. 2 receiver role. Geronimo Allison is on injured reserve and Cobb has played in the same number of games that he will now have missed. Valdes-Scantling has played at least 54 snaps in five of the last six weeks and has performed. On the season, he has 23 catches for 402 yards and two touchdowns.
Equanimeous St. Brown, another rookie, will need to step up as the No. 3. His usage has been up and down through the season. However, he looks like the Packers best option as the third receiver at this point. The wild card could be Trevor Davis, who will be returning from injured reserve this week.
Davis hasn’t done anything in his NFL career as a receiver, but he has the same body type as Cobb. He also has the speed Cobb used to have. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Packers game him some snaps in the slot.
To replace Brice, the Packers will need to look to Josh Jones. The 2017 second-round pick played a season-high 61 snaps in week 10. This was after getting 51 snaps in week 9 and playing just four the entire season prior to that.
The good news about Jones is we haven’t really noticed him the past two games. Jones regularly made mistakes and had mental lapses as a rookie. So while he isn’t necessarily making plays, Jones has been solid. In this case, no news is good news.
With King out, the Packers will go to Josh Jackson. The rookie played every defensive snap last week, when King was also out. Bashaud Breeland also got a large percentage of the snaps in week 10. However, it should be noted that he’s questionable for the Seattle game.
Jackson hasn’t been spectacular like Jaire Alexander has at times this season. He doesn’t have an interception and has five passes defended. He did show up with a season-high seven tackles last week, however. And in playing every defensive snap, it’s obvious the coaching staff trusts him.
The Packers will be thin at outside linebacker with Perry out. They only kept four guys at the position to begin with. Clay Matthews does come off the field from time to time. That means Kyler Fackrell and Reggie Gilbert will get plenty of time and need to show up.
Fackrell, once one of our favorite whipping boys, has actually been playing well this year. His snaps have increased almost week to week. He’s tied with defensive tackle Kenny Clark for the team lead with five sacks.
Gilbert has 2.5 sacks, but he has more tackles than Fackrell at 24-18. Both of them should see plenty of action on Sunday to pad those numbers to whatever degree they can.
If there’s a big vulnerability here, it’s the outside linebacker position. Seattle leads the league in rushing offense with 152.2 yards per game. None of the Packers outside backers have been very adept and defending the run this season. The Seahawks are doing this by committee too.
Leading rusher Chris Carson has 497 yards. Mike Davis has 346. Rashaad Penny has 254. The Packers are 22nd in the league in rushing defense. And that has been with Perry, who was once considered the team’s best run defender.
Wouldn’t be surprised to see Oren Burks see some snaps at OLB
https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2018/11/14/18095036/packers-pass-rush-mike-pettine-clay-matthews-nick-perry-contract
Good read. Obviously would be nice to dump those salaries for more quality players, but it goes to show the effect Pettine has had on the defense. They have to convince the new HC to retain him
I wish i was as convinced as many are, that McCarthy won’t be here next season. Although it might come to fruition, i’m not taking anything for granted until i see it with my own eyes. Especially how McCarthy manipulated Murphy with the new GM hire earlier this year.
With that being said, Murphy needs to go also as i’d have zero confidence in him hiring a new coach.
Agreed.
However, McFatty bashing getting old..
The whole world knows he needs to go..
That’s how I feel. Everyone says that he’s gone after this year, but until I see it happen I’m not totally sold. The good old boys’ may have other ideas. I would love to see Murphy go too. I’m not too optimistic about that one since they’re still in the middle of that TT district erection.
The questions that have been floating around in my head are, what has to happen for McCarthy to keep his job? Squeaking into the playoffs again only to get slaughtered? Just making to the NFCCG but falling short of the SB? If they don’t make the playoffs is he gonna get another free pass because he’s a “highly successful coach” who won a SB almost ten years ago and can’t do squat without AR?
What has to happen for McCarthy to lose his job? The offense has been garbage for at least three years. McCarthy is too busy playing OC to be a head coach. There are current AND former players openly criticizing the playcalling. I don’t know how Gute doesn’t take that into account. The only reason McShitty started using Aaron Jones more (highest rushing average in the league) is because Montgomery was shipped away. Players are constantly unprepared and making dumb ass mistakes. I’ll stop there but is this the year they finally say enough? Maybe if they get their asses handed to them in SEA it will remind everyone of 2014 when the Packers gave away a trip to the SB based on pure stupidity.
Agreed. I stated last week I have a sneaking suspicion that McCarthy is gonna get a one year reprieve. It is criminal at this point in time how many chances that guy gets.
Good point on OLB coverage…..
Swiss-Cheese Secondary gonna be a non-factor tonight – Cheathawks RBs (and Wilson) gonna set new single-game rushing records….
Write this one off – Goal here is to live for tomorrow…..get outta Stumptown w minimum injuries
Like in the 80s a successful season will be measured solely by how many times they can beat NFC North rivals and hopefully knock one or more of them out of the playoffs….Bears in a game 16 I believe…