The Green Bay Packers are hoping their recent momentum carries them into the postseason, but injuries could be what keeps the team out of the mix. With the run game coming back into the mix, the Packers need their receivers to stay healthy in order to help Aaron Rodgers. Randall Cobb is carrying the load while the team does not expect Ty Montgomery back any time soon.
The Packers got good production out of Montgomery when he was healthy as the receiver served as one of the replacements to Jordy Nelson. However, an ankle injury has kept him off the field more times than not. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Montgomery suffered yet another setback in his return to the field. The receiver suffered a high ankle sprain on Oct. 18 and has yet to see game time since. He attempted to get back on the field in order to play in Week 15, but was unable to make it through practice.
"It's a strange thing and I think they're still trying to figure out what's going on there," quarterbacks and wide receivers coach Alex Van Pelt said, via JSOnline.com. "He was expecting good things and it's still early - who knows - but yeah, he didn't do much today. It's been a rough road for him. I know he's fought to come back a few different times and has a little setback here and there."
With Montgomery out, the Packers were hoping to get Andrew Quarless on the field to help the offense. However, that is not going well either. The tight end has been practicing following a knee injury, but has yet to get activated. According to CBSSports.com, it is not looking good that Quarless will see game time in Week 15 which would make his last opportunity to get put on the roster this season. The injuries are putting pressure on players like James Jones and Davante Adams to step up. Both players struggled in Week 14. Jones is heading back to Oakland who cut him last year. He stressed that was not extra motivation this week.
"I go into every game trying to catch a million balls and get a million yards," Jones said, via ESPN.com. "It's not going to change for me, man. I just want to play well, the same way I go into every game."
The Packers are happy to have a more efficient run game working for them thanks to the comeback of Lacy. The running back admits the benching was a huge wakeup call for him as he is expected to return to the starting spot over James Starks in Week 15. Lacy told the media that sometimes a little push in the right direction is what someone needs and having his carries pulled certainly did it for him.
"I think sometimes when things come easy to you, you kind of ease off a little bit and you get lax," Lacy said, via ESPN.com. "And things need to happen in order to wake you up and show you that it can be taken away, it can get difficult, but that's how I would say it."