Eddie Lacy's Injury Is Not Green Bay Packers' Biggest Super Bowl Roadblock

Eddie Lacy's possible absence won't help the Green Bay Packers bounce back from a rough Week 1 loss and reclaim the NFC North. Yet healthy or not, the sophomore running back can't overshadow Green Bay's floundering defense and battered offensive line.

During Thursday night's 36-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Lacy suffered a concussion that took him out of action. Bleacher Report's Jason Cole received confirmation of the injury.

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport also provided credence to the ailment, and noted the minimum time the back will miss.

Since Green Bay gets a longer week of rest before playing the New York Jets next Sunday, his future status remains up in the air. After rushing for 1,178 yards and 11 touchdowns during his rookie season, Lacy boasts star potential playing alongside Aaron Rodgers and a sensational passing offense.

Before he came around, however, the Packers won the division at 11-5 despite a horrid ground game. No running back eclipsed 500 rushing yards during the 2012 season, yet Rodgers led the way with 4,295 passing yards.

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That's not to say Green Bay will again flourish without a consistent bell-cow back, but it has enough weapons in the aerial assault to not making scoring points the team's biggest worry.

Instead, the Packers will struggle returning to the Super Bowl due to their lackluster defense, which showed no signs of improvement against Seattle.

Last season, they struggled mightily to stymie both the pass and run, ranking in the bottom 10 in each category.

Category	Yards/Game	NFL Rank
Run D	125.0	25
Pass D	247.3	24
Total D	372.3	25

While the team signed Julius Peppers and drafted Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the first round, neither acquisition paid much dividends to open the season. Marshawn Lynch carved out the front seven for 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns. When he was called upon to throw, Russell Wilson completed 19 of 28 passes for 191 yards and two scores.

Sports Illustrated's Aaron Nagler didn't see any progress.

While defense is not Green Bay's calling card, the unit ranked fifth in total yards allowed during the 2010 championship season. Since then, however, the Packers have failed to register inside the top 10.

Even if they conquer an up-for-grabs NFC North, they're not balanced enough to match the Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers or New Orleans Saints. Seattle made that clear on Thursday night, and San Francisco has ended Green Bay's last two playoff runs. New Orleans brandished a top-five offense and defense last season.

Even with a top-tiered offense, the defense holds them back from title consideration. Besides, other injuries to the offense should also spark just as much concern in Wisconsin. 

Lacy's injury may not even be the biggest blow to Green Bay's offense. Offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga suffered a torn MCL against Seattle, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Bleacher Report's Will Carroll said he may not sit on the shelf for long.

McCarthy admitted to Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel that his right tackle's absence affected his game plan.

"It changed a couple things," McCarthy said. "We flipped our plan based on what they were doing. We got caught a couple times in some uphill situations as how the protection was set. They got the safety. Hey, that's football."

With center J.C. Tretter already shelved, Lacy or any other running back will struggle to make significant gains without Bulaga. More importantly, a line that surrendered 45 sacks last season will labor to keep Rodgers upright. 

A young, budding star suffering a concussion is the last thing anyone wants to see. A healthy Lacy would form the NFL's top quarterback-running back tandem, but it's everything else that will prevent the Packers from bringing the Vince Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay.