The Green Bay Packers are scratching their heads trying to figure out what went wrong in the Thanksgiving matchup against the Chicago Bears. The Packers once again fell flat as their offense continues its inconsistent issues during the season. Aaron Rodgers blames team preparation while injuries are becoming an issue for the team. Who will be back in Week 13 as Green Bay hopes to bounce back in time to stay in the playoff hunt?
According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, the Packers did get Jared Abbrederis back on the practice field after the breakout wide receiver missed Week 12 with a rib injury. That should help as Ty Montgomery is still not back on the field as he continues to nurse a setback suffered with his ankle injury. That lack of the two wide receivers has put added pressure on Randall Cobb and Davante Adams to step up, something they have not been consistently able to do this year. Dropped passes have been a huge issue as Aaron Rodgers is actually having one of his more accurate seasons. According to James Jones, the struggles are on the receivers.
"It's hard to let it go because when it really means a lot to you, you're so passionate about the game and each opportunity, and I really value every time the ball is thrown to me, so it's hard to let it go," Adams said, via ESPN.com. "You really want to have that, they call it the DB mentality, just let it go and go to the next play. Forget about it. But it's hard, especially when I really care about it. You try to, but I'm trying to do my best to, so I can go out there and have a great year."
The dropped passes were magnified along with the fumble issues of Eddie Lacy. The running back has returned to his dominating rushing form, but four fumbles in five games is not going to keep him on the field. Lacy was a big reason the Packers managed any points against the Bears in Week 12, but head coach Mike McCarthy made it clear that Lacy needs to secure the ball. With James Starks also running well, the running back is at risk of losing his starting job once again.
"Anytime there's a fundamental that is not performed, at practice you obviously heighten the emphasis for it," McCarthy said, via ESPN.com. "Anytime it comes to taking care of the football or taking the football away, the opportunities involving the football, we need to be at the top of our game."
The Packers technically play on a short week as they will face off against the Detroit Lions on Thursday night football. It is unclear if Abbrederis or Montgomery will be available for the matchup while tight end Andrew Quarless is also expected to be out. Injured in Week 3, the Packers were hopeful that the tight end would be active for Week 13, but so far he has not been spotted and McCarthy told the media he could be actived later in the week, but that is not a guarantee.
