The Green Bay Packers had quarterback Jordan Love available for a second straight day of practice on Friday, but a trio of starters — cornerback Jaire Alexander, safety Evan Williams and center Josh Myers — missed a third consecutive day of practice, per Wes Hodkiewicz of the team’s official site. All three must now be considered unlikely to play Sunday against the Detroit Lions.
The final injury report with playing status designations arrives later Friday afternoon. Expect the Packers to list Alexander, Myers and Williams as out or doubtful to play.
Alexander is dealing with a knee injury suffered against the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday. Williams felt something in his hamstring during pre-game warmups and eventually exited Sunday’s win in Jacksonville. Myers played through a wrist injury last week, but the issue clearly didn’t respond well this week.
Alexander and Williams represent one-half of the Packers’ starting secondary in the base defense. If both are unavailable, the Packers will likely need to move Javon Bullard from the slot to safety and Keisean Nixon back into the slot and play Eric Stokes and Carrington Valentine on the perimeter against one of the NFL’s best offenses.
At center, the Packers have used left guard Elgton Jenkins as the backup behind Myers. If Jenkins moves to center, rookie Jordan Morgan would likely make his first NFL start with Morgan and Sean Rhyan playing the two guard spots.
Beating the 6-1 Lions would be a tall task with a healthy roster. The Packers must do it with a quarterback that isn’t 100 percent and at least three missing starters.
The Packers have a bye in Week 10, so a chance to get healthy is coming. But the current injury situation — with big absences expected on both sides of the ball — will create quite the challenge for Matt LaFleur’s team at Lambeau Field on Sunday.