Green Bay Packers' Injuries Piling Up After Loss to Saints

In a 44-23 loss at what head coach Mike McCarthy called a "hotbox" this week, the Packers' path to losing was clear: injuries.

Coming into the game against the New Orleans Saints, the now 5-3 Green Bay squad's health was in question. Notable players on the injured reserve list were nose tackle B.J. Raji and center JC Tretter, who were starters in preseason up until they sustained their injures. On the inactive list, starting safety Morgan Burnett, starting cornerback Sam Shields and starting defensive lineman Datone Jones joined the tandem.

Early in the game, the struggle of attrition became apparent. Rookie center Corey Linsley and Aaron Rodgers had a miscommunication over the timing of a snap, leading to Rodgers giving an earful to the lineman, as he did against the New York Jets in Week 2.

On the other side of the line, the rotation of defensive linemen replacing Raji and Jones didn't have a great performance, either. On the ground, the Saints were able to gain 193 yards, while Drew Brees had enough time in the pocket to accumulate a 138.4 quarterback rating.

In his second week replacing starting boundary cornerback Shields, Davon House again proved his high variance of play. While on the stat sheet, House didn't allow many receptions or yardage against the Carolina Panthers last week, there were times which quarterback Cam Newton clearly didn't capitalize on.

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On this play, Newton began the snap with some action but kept his eyes on his X receiver. House, unable to make that initial punch at the line of scrimmage again in press, allowed Benjamin to get a free release to the sideline.

Newton wasn't able to make the throw, but he was clearly looking Benjamin's way at one point, and House couldn't do anything but hope to keep up with his feet. In most situations, that's a blown play by the cornerback that's taken advantage of by the offense.

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Against the veteran mind of Brees, no such play was left on the field. House's performance earned a note on Cheesehead TV's Brian Carriveau's "Cow Chips" list.

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Davon House will NOT want to watch this tape.

— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) October 27, 2014"

Right guard T.J. Lang also went down early in the game with an ankle injury. According to Wes Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, he was on the sideline on crutches with a protective boot later on in the match.

Usually, in this situation, swing lineman Don Barclay would come in to replace the veteran starter, but he, too, was on the injured reserve list due to a preseason ACL injury. Instead, an undrafted second-year player, Lane Taylor, entered the starting lineup.

Green Bay was as high as a team could be on an undrafted player regarding Taylor, giving him a 2013-high $7,000 signing bonus for their undrafted free-agent class, according to Hodkiewicz.

On a 3rd-and-short play, the Packers elected to run behind Taylor in an attempt to gain a first down. He looked like he was a low-in-the-depth-chart lineman.

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And Lane Taylor got blown out of there. Lacy stuffed.

— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) October 27, 2014"

The most concerning injury of them all, though, was to Rodgers. The quarterback, who was incredibly efficient coming into the game, looked like a shell of himself after a lower body injury he sustained on a non-contact scamper.

Bleacher Report's Zach Kruse noted that he "Obviously can't move." ESPN Wisconsin's Jason Wilde commented that Rodgers didn't extend plays per his usual talent. Adam Czech, a blogger for AllGBP.com, said of his late, gimpy touchdown run that it was the saddest he'd ever have.

With Rodgers throwing off his toes, he threw two interceptions, one more than he had in the previous seven games combined.

With a perfectly timed bye week coming before a return to Lambeau Field with a matchup against the Chicago Bears on November 9, the Packers' goal is clear: Get healthy.