Green Bay — Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has a right shoulder injury, receiver Jared Abbrederis will be sidelined for a couple of weeks and 14 players were listed on the injury report.
Some would say it’s a pretty typical week for the Green Bay Packers.
As bad as it sounds, the collective state of the Packers is what coach Mike McCarthy referred to as “banged up.”
The only three players who did not take part in practice Wednesday were tackle Bryan Bulaga (knee), guard T.J. Lang (shoulder) and Abbrederis (rib/chest). Guard Josh Sitton (knee), cornerback Micah Hyde (hip) and tackle David Bakhtiari (knee) were able to do a few things in practice.
Everyone else on the list is not in danger of missing the Minnesota game Sunday.
Rodgers’ placement on the injury report is his first of the season, but it didn’t stop him from throwing during the walk-through portion of practice open to the media, which he wouldn’t be doing if his injury were serious.
“Probably banged up,” Rodgers said when asked to describe his injury status before practice. “But we all are at this time. It’s Week 11 coming up; everybody is dealing with different things. That’s the NFL. You get a routine, learn how to take care of your body and push through things.”
Abbrederis is more than banged up. He took a shot to his ribs during the loss to Detroit on Sunday and isn’t expected to play Sunday. He has not been declared “out” yet as the Packers will sometimes do if they know a player has no chance of playing.
But McCarthy said he would be out “several weeks.”
It’s a tough blow for Abbrederis, who missed all of last year with a torn ACL, most of training camp this season with a concussion and was finally emerging as a trustworthy fourth receiver. On Sunday, he caught four passes for 57 yards, including a 32-yarder in which he took the shot to his ribs.
“Obviously this is his third injury,” McCarthy said. “So, hopefully he can bounce back from this.”
McCarthy took it easy on the players as part of a long-term plan that takes into account that the Packers have a quick turnaround after the Vikings game with the Thanksgiving night meeting with the Chicago Bears. It didn’t help that four-fifths of his line was sidelined or limited.
Waiting period: One of Minnesota’s most productive players couldn’t get on the field the first three weeks of the season.
But something clicked for rookie receiver Stefon Diggs and all of a sudden he is the top threat in Minnesota’s offense. He has 30 catches for 507 yards and two touchdowns in six games to lead all Vikings receivers in catches and yards.
He’s come a long way since being inactive Weeks 1-3.
“Stefon, he waited his turn,” quarterback Teddy Bridgewater said on a conference call. “He’s been making the most of it. He’s a guy who’s learned a lot in his brief time here.”
Pleasant surprise: When tight end Justin Perillo caught his first-career touchdown late in the fourth quarter Sunday, he froze for a moment.
With his team needing a 2-point conversion to tie the game, Perillo was uncertain about whether he should vault into the stands for a Lambeau Leap.
“I didn’t really know what to do if I should Lambeau Leap or not,” Perillo said Wednesday with a smile. “I was like, ‘All right, might as well just do it real quick.'”
Perillo jumped into both the stands and the stat sheet with an impressive five-catch, 58-yard day against the Lions. Acting as a more vertical complement to starter Richard Rodgers, Perillo showed the ability to make difficult catches down the field, especially a leaping 24-yarder over the middle.
His increased playing time, according to coaches, is due in part to the sharpness of his route running in practice. A slew of catches in practice suggest a trust factor with Aaron Rodgers, which translated to the field in the form of more targets Sunday.
“I don’t think I’ve proven that much, honestly,” Perillo said. “I’ve played in a handful of games. I’ve made a handful of catches. I’ve just got to keep improving every day.”
Jones stumped:The second-leading receiver for the Packers in terms of total yards was targeted just twice in the loss to the Lions, even with his quarterback attempting a career-high 61 passes.
James Jones, who has 24 catches for 483 yards and six touchdowns, did not catch a single pass Sunday. Zero receptions for zero yards. A shutout.
“I don’t know, man. I don’t know,” Jones said when asked why his production has declined. “That’s tough to put your finger on. Once you start catching a couple balls, they start focusing on you a little bit more and you get taken away sometimes. I’m just out there trying to run every route to win. I’ll get more involved.”
After turning in games with 77 or more yards for three straight weeks in early October, Jones has topped 50 yards only once in the last four games. The loss to the Lions was the first time he caught zero passes in a game since Sept. 8, 2013, when the Packers lost to the 49ers.