Despite a broken thumb suffered on Thursday night, Green Bay Packers tight end Jimmy Graham is going to try to play this weekend with the team’s season on the brink.
Jimmy Graham intends to try to play this week with a broken thumb. Will experience with different splits and protections. Mike Daniels, however, will "be a couple of weeks" after his foot injury, coach Mike McCarthy said. https://t.co/HNhpAO3Avk
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) November 19, 2018
I can’t quite explain that second sentence from Cher, there. ESPN’s copy editor must be on vacation for the holiday already.
We knew Daniels would be out for a bit. That will hurt the Packers’ defense. Losing Graham would have hurt the Packers’ offense, but the Daniels’ loss is probably bigger.
Graham, after signing a three-year, $30 million deal in the offseason, has put up 34 catches for 452 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games. He’s had just one catch in the last two games each. Not exactly the sort of game-changer you want for that kind of money.
Still, the Packers are better with Graham on the field. Lance Kendricks would be the next man up if Graham were to sit. And to that point, why the hell not just play Robert Tonyan?
Tonyan is a former undrafted free agent (2017) in his first season with the Packers. He caught the first pass of his career on Thursday. And while that is not super impressive, Tonyan has played just 13 snaps on offense the entire season thus far.
Whoever happens to be in the lineup, the Packers have the Minnesota Vikings on the road this week. Win this week or season over. And there’s no if’s or and’s about it anymore.