Undefeated Packers' Biggest Challenge to NFC Supremacy Is Growing Injury List

The Green Bay Packers held off the San Diego Chargers for a 27-20 finish on Sunday, in a win that was not pretty but got the job done. The Packers head into their bye week undefeated at 6-0. 

However, will the Week 7 bye heal what ails the Packers most in 2015?

From losing top wideout Jordy Nelson for the year in the offseason to a torn ACL to the most recent injury—rookie receiver Ty Montgomery going down with an ankle on Sunday, as the team confirmed—the Packers have had to play at less-than-full strength again and again. 

Ultimately, it could be their only fallibility as they seek out the NFC title. 

The following players, including multiple starters, have appeared on the Packers' injury report so far in 2015. 

Player	Injury	Games Missed
Jordy Nelson, WR	Knee	IR
Sam Barrington, ILB	Ankle	IR
Josh Boyd, DT	Ankle	IR
Morgan Burnett, SS	Calf	Weeks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6
Bryan Bulaga, T	Knee	Weeks 2, 3, 4
Davante Adams, WR	Ankle	Weeks 4, 5, 6
Demetri Goodson, CB	Hamstring	Weeks 3, 4
Eddie Lacy, RB	Ankle	Week 2 (partial)
Andrew Quarless, TE	Knee	IR - Designation to Return
Sean Richardson, S	Neck	IR
Jake Ryan, LB	Hamstring	Weeks 4, 5, 6
Nick Perry, LB	Shoulder	Week 5 (partial), Week 6
B.J. Raji, DT	Groin	Week 5 (partial), Week 6
LaDarius Gunter, CB	Heel	Weeks 5, 6
Ty Montgomery, WR	Knee	Week 6 (partial)

This table also does not include the various players who have been listed on the week-to-week injury report but have not been declared out for a game, such as receiver Randall Cobb, guard T.J. Lang, receiver James Jones, linebacker Mike Neal and defensive end Datone Jones. 

Green Bay isn't yet approaching the desperate situation that was their 2010 season, in which the team had an astounding 16 players on injured reserve.

Of course, the Packers took home the Lombardi trophy that season, despite the odds, but would certainly not seek out as difficult a road this time around. 

It's not that injuries have been the only flaw for the Packers team this season, but a good portion of their problems have stemmed from them. NFL Analyst Aaron Nagler pointed out the Packers' injury history and noted the significance of the bye week's timing as it relates to current injury concerns:

For instance, losing Nelson for the season has created a trickle-down effect in the offense, a situation in which the team doesn't have the weapons it needs for Aaron Rodgers to run the full playbook. 

Consider this fact: Through six games, Rodgers has completed only three passes of 40-plus yards, one of which was a 46-yard connection with second-year wideout Jeff Janis on Sunday against the Chargers. Heading into Week 6, Rodgers ranked 24th in the league in throws of that length, despite leading the league in that category in 2014. 

He also had 59 passes of 20 or more yards, which was good for No. 4 among quarterbacks. 

It's no coincidence that in 2014, Nelson was second among all receivers in explosive plays, with eight catches of 40-plus yards. 

This year, the lack of that deep threat in the Packers offense has changed the way they move the ball down the field, and at times it has put their lead in peril. On multiple occasions, especially in Week 5 against the St. Louis Rams, Green Bay's defense has had to bail out its offense. 

Head coach Mike McCarthy doesn't appear to want to close off certain sections of the playbook because Nelson (and, in recent weeks, Davante Adams) is injured, but not many players can step into that role. 

On more than one occasion this season, Rodgers has attempted to target Randall Cobb on one of Nelson's best routes: the back-shoulder fade moving out toward the sideline. On Sunday, that resulted in a drop. 

But it hasn't just been the depletion of his receiving corps that has made life difficult for Rodgers this season. For a three-week span, he lost his starting right tackle in Bryan Bulaga and played behind veteran backup Don Barclay. 

In Week 4 against the San Francisco 49ers, all three of the sacks on Rodgers were credited to Barclay per Pro Football Focus. 

The Packers also currently rank as the league's No. 29 team in run-blocking, per Pro Football Focus, no doubt in part to some of the shakeups. If the line sustains any more injuries, it will reflect poorly in both the running and passing game. Per the team's official Twitter feed, McCarthy pointed out how hard it is "to win and to stay healthy," noting the "need" for the upcoming bye week:

As Rodgers has entered his prime, common belief has been that as long as the Packers have him lining up under center, they can withstand most any other injury. While that fact appears to be reflected in their 6-0 record, in reality the losses have been reflected quite obviously in the offense. The unit is more methodical, less explosive. 

The defense, of course, has also not been immune from the injury bug.

Though Green Bay's run defense was making a case for being elite in Weeks 2, 3 and 4, the losses of nose tackle B.J. Raji and linebacker Nick Perry in Week 5 hurt.

Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley was able to rush for 159 yards that week after the Packers had held Seattle's Marshawn Lynch, Kansas City's Jamaal Charles and San Francico's Carlos Hyde to less than 50 yards each the three weeks prior. 

And while defensive back Micah Hyde has filled in admirably starting at safety opposite Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in place of the injured veteran Burnett, defensive coordinator Dom Capers' ability to scheme in the nickel and dime packages has been limited by the lack of safeties. With Burnett and Richardson having missed most of the season so far, the Packers have lacked a strong box safety.

Now, the injury of the moment concerns rookie receiver Montgomery's ankle. A report from NFL Network's Rand Getlin on Sunday indicated initial "X-rays" came back negative, which is a good sign:  

However, even if he didn't suffer a fracture, Montgomery could still have a high ankle sprain, which is an injury that could sideline him for weeks.

If for some reason Montgomery and Adams weren't ready to go in Week 8 after the bye, stacked on top of the losses of Nelson and tight end Andrew Quarless, this offense may start to bend under the weight of those injuries. 

For now, it seems the Packers' bye could not come at a better time. But the first six games of their season have shown that if there is one thing that could keep them from reaching the NFC Championship Game, and beyond, it is the continued onslaught of injuries at key positions.