Green Bay Packers Injury Riddled Season Goes from Bad to Worse in Week 16

The injury bug just refuses to leave the Green Bay Packers.

After a training camp injury to Bryan Bulaga and early-season injuries to Randall Cobb and Jermichael Finley, Mike McCarthy's squadron has endured life without Aaron Rodgers for essentially eight games. 

To make matters worse, Clay Matthews, Eddie Lacy and Brad Jones tweaked existing injuries in Green Bay's devastating home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16. 

Let's examine each injury as the Packers prepare to play for their playoff lives in the season finale against the Chicago Bears. 

Clay Matthews

Matthews initially fractured his thumb on Oct. 6 against the Detroit Lions. The injury forced the pass-rushing stud to miss a month of action.

Green Bay went 3-1 with Matthews out, but when he returned for the Monday Night Football clash at home against the Bears in Week 9, Rodgers broke his collarbone on the first series.

On a second-quarter sack of Ben Roethlisberger in the Packers' 38-31 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Matthews reaggravated his thumb injury and didn't return to the game. Per Wes Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, head coach Mike McCarthy said the following about Matthews' injury: "I couldn’t give you a time line but I think based off the history of what happened the first time, I’m told it’s similar to the repeat injury."

On Monday, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network tweeted the news no Packer fan wanted to read:

"

#Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Clay Matthews seemed to suffer a repeat injury. He did. Broken thumb again. Couldn’t cast & play last time

—Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 23, 2013"

Wodkiewicz also wrote: "based on the initial diagnosis, it appears it could be season-ending."

On Monday, the Packers' Twitter account sent the this tweet:

"

MM: Clay Matthews still being evaluated. Training staff didn't feel very good about injury. Info being gathered.

—Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 23, 2013"

Losing Matthews again for an extended period of time could ultimately be crushing for Green Bay's pass-rushing efforts, despite the emergence of 2010 second-round pick Mike Neal. 

Here's a look at how efficient Green Bay's edge-rushers have been in 2013:

While Perry and Neal have actually been more efficient than Matthews in terms of overall pressures this season, they could be negatively impacted if the former USC star is sidelined, as offensive coordinators would have one less pass-rusher to account for when installing their game plans. 

The Packers are eighth in the NFL heading into Week 17 with 43 team sacks, and per Pro Football Reference's count, Matthews leads the team with 7.5. 

He will be missed. 

Brad Jones

The Packers inside linebacker corps isn't an elite unit by any stretch of the imagination. It's a group that certainly can't afford to lose Jones for any considerable stretch. 

	Pass-Rush Snaps	Sacks	Hits	Hurries	Pass-Rush Snaps Per QB Pressure
Andy Mulumba	114	0	0	6	19
Nick Perry	181	4	0	19	7.8
Mike Neal	333	5	4	34	7.74
Clay Matthews	265	7	4	20	8.54

The veteran injured his ankle against the Steelers in the first half. He is "probable" for next week's game against Chicago.

There hasn't been an official, detailed diagnosis on the linebacker's injury. This is all the Green Bay Packers' Twitter account tweeted about Jones after the Week 16 defeat:

"

#Packers Injuries – Clay Matthews reinjured thumb. Brad Jones ankle, Micah Hyde shoulder. #PITvsGB

—Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 23, 2013"

Here's how Jones and A.J. Hawk have been graded by Pro Football Focus (subscription required) this season:

A defense's run-stopping efforts go far beyond the play of the inside linebackers, but linebackers are traditionally supposed to be the playmakers in a 3-4 alignment, as bigger, more powerful defensive linemen occupy blockers. 

The Packers allow 4.6 yards per rush—only the San Diego Chargers (4.7), Dallas Cowboys (4.8) and Chicago Bears (5.4) surrender more average yards per carry. 

	Brad Jones	A.J. Hawk
Pass-Rushing Grade (Rank)	+1.8 (10)	-1.1 (29)
Pass-Coverage Grade (Rank)	-1.7 (30)	+1.7 (15)
Run-Stopping Grade (Rank)	-4.6 (33)	-16.1 (52)
Overall Grade	-4.5 (28)	-15.1 (48)

Conversely, Chicago averages 4.6 yards per rush, and running back Matt Forte averages 4.6. He's scored seven rushing touchdowns this season and had three consecutive 100-yard rushing outings before being held to only 29 yards on nine carries in the team's 54-11 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football.

In Week 9's win over the Packers, Forte carried the ball 24 times for 125 yards with one touchdown, and he added another 54 yards on five receptions. 

If Jones does indeed miss the de facto NFC North title game against the Bears in Week 17, he'll be replaced by Jamari Lattimore, a 2011 undrafted free agent who's played only 232 defensive snaps this season, according to Pro Football Focus. 

In 34 snaps against the Steelers on Sunday, Lattimore received a -2.0 overall grade and a -1.2 coverage grade from PFF. 

Jones hasn't been a star for Green Bay in 2013, but he's been the best inside linebacker, a vital position in Dom Capers' defense. 

 

Eddie Lacy 

Lacy has pieced together an Offensive Rookie of the Year-caliber season in Green Bay. 

He's amassed 1,112 rushing yards on 263 carries (4.2 average) with 10 touchdowns. He's also added 33 receptions for 242 yards. 

Counting the game in which Rodgers broke his collarbone, here's how Lacy has fared since becoming the Packers' offensive focal point:

Lacy injured his ankle against Pittsburgh, and McCarthy confirmed the following after the game: 

"

McCarthy-Eddie Lacy's ankle injury is the same he's suffered in the past. #Packers #PITvsGB

—Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 23, 2013"

The former Alabama star has proven to be a powerful yet deceptively nimble running back who's kept Green Bay's offense respectable for the most part during Rodgers' absence. 

Carries	Carries Per Game	Rushing Yards	YPC	Touchdowns
151	18.875	666	4.4	7

Fortunately for the Packers, James Starks is healthy and has been a fantastic backup option for Lacy this season. He's carried the ball 78 times for 405 yards (5.2 average) and has scored three touchdowns on the year. 

With Lacy out against the Steelers, Starks toted the rock 10 times for 47 yards and caught one pass for 23 yards. 

Playing against the league's worst yards-per-carry defense next week, Green Bay would likely love to employ a run-heavy attack that features both Lacy and Starks. 

However, if Lacy is unable to go, one has to believe Starks will be able to run the ball successfully. 

The Packers overcame a myriad of injuries during the 2010 regular season to win the Super Bowl. They might need some of the same magic this year. 

Follow @ChrisTrapasso