All week, it seemed that there was a good chance that the Green Bay Packers would be back to full strength at wide receiver. It was hardly a sure thing, to be sure, but with both Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison practicing all week (albeit on a limited basis), fans can be excused for feeling optimistic.
Unfortunately, news out of Green Bay on Monday afternoon paints a bleaker picture. Lisa Salters of ESPN has reported (via Adam Schefter) that the Packers are “likely” to keep both of those two veteran wideouts inactive. If that is indeed the case, this would be the second straight game that both would sit out, as they missed last week’s loss to the Detroit Lions.
If those players indeed are inactive, that leaves the Packers with their trio of rookie receivers to battle for snaps behind Davante Adams. The hierarchy last week was clear, with Marquez Valdes-Scantling leading the way ahead of Equanimeous St. Brown and then J’Mon Moore. Valdes-Scantling had the most receptions of the trio with seven and he scored the one touchdown among the group, while St. Brown led in receiving yards with 89, thanks to a 54-yard catch-and-run late in the game.
Still, the Packers would miss Cobb, who remains a difficult player to cover from the slot, and Allison, who has become a talented playmaker on the boundary. Allison recorded at least 60 receiving yards in each of the team’s first four games, putting him on pace to eclipse 1,000 for the season before he was injured. Meanwhile Cobb had a spectacular week one, with nine catches for 142 yards and a score, before seeing his production slip a bit in weeks one and two.
Of course, Adams remains the X-factor, as he has been nearly uncoverable this season. Last week in Detroit, he saw more snaps from the slot and took advantage of them en route to a nine-catch, 140-yard, one-touchdown performance. Can he and the rookies put up another 300-plus yard day between them? Tune in tonight to find out.