Packers could play without all 3 starting corners against Falcons

When the Green Bay Packers hit the "mini-bye" period following their Thursday Night Football matchup with the Chicago Bears, the team appeared hopeful that most of their banged up secondary could return to the fold for their Week 8 road trip to Atlanta. However, Green Bay could once again find itself without the services of any of its top-3 cornerbacks come Sunday's game against the Falcons.

Reports surfaced Monday that Damarious Randall has undergone surgery on his groin, sidelining him for as many as six weeks. Additionally, Quinten Rollins could miss another game with a groin injury of his own, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Ryan Wood.

These developments come on top of last week's decision to place top cover man Sam Shields on injured reserve. Shields could return later in the season, but not until at least Week 15 after spending eight weeks on the reserve list. Green Bay also plans to place safety Chris Banjo on IR in order to free up a roster spot for another corner.

The Packers do have some positive news at cornerback. Second-year man LaDarius Gunter played one of the best games of his career last Thursday despite matching up against Pro Bowl wideout Alshon Jeffery for most of the game, bouncing back from a lackluster showing the previous week against the Dallas Cowboys. Gunter's length and ability to press make him a better matchup against taller, lengthier receivers. Accordingly, he can expect plenty of work to come against All-Pro Julio Jones this Sunday.