Packers-Raiders Final Injury Report: Alexander, Jones Are Questionable
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur on Saturday listed three starters, including cornerback Jaire Alexander and running back Aaron Jones, as questionable for Monday night’s game at the Las Vegas Raiders.
In Las Vegas, star Raiders receiver Davante Adams didn’t practice on Thursday or Friday due to a shoulder injury. The assumption all along is the All-Pro receiver would be ready to face his former teammates for Monday’s game. Indeed, he practiced on Saturday. Coach Josh McDaniels listed him as questionable.
Will he go against Alexander? The All-Pro defender missed the last two games with a back injury but practiced all week.
“He did everything we asked him to do. We’ll see how he’s feeling on Monday night,” LaFleur said.
The offense could be at mostly full strength from a numbers perspective if not from a health perspective for Monday night. Three injured starters on the offensive line were not given an injury designation, meaning they will be in the lineup against the Raiders:
Left guard Elgton Jenkins, who missed most of the last three games with a knee injury sustained at Atlanta in Week 2, practiced the last three days.
Right tackle Zach Tom, who last week played through a knee injury sustained during the game-winning drive four days earlier against New Orleans, practiced all week, as well.
Right guard Jon Runyan, who hobbled through last week’s loss against Detroit due to an ankle injury, practiced for a second consecutive day.
All LaFleur would say about those three is they looked “good” at practice.
Packers RB Aaron Jones against the Raiders in 2019.
Photo by Jeff Hanisch/USA Today Sports Images
Jones did not immediately run out of the Don Hutson Center alongside his teammates for the start of Saturday’s practice. Jones, who returned from a hamstring injury for last Thursday night’s game against the Detroit Lions, practiced as limited participation on Thursday and Friday. For those practices, he went out immediately and took his full complement of reps in individual drills while reporters were present.
For the final practice of the week, reporters only get to see the opening stretch. After the stretch, Jones, as always, ran toward the door leading to the practice field. After exchanging his usual high-fives with teammates as they ran out to practice, Jones joined a trainer for additional stretching inside the Hutson Center.
After practice, LaFleur said Jones did not do any less than he did on Thursday and Friday.
“I’m feeling good. Just still taking it day by day,” Jones said this week. “The hamstring, it can linger so don’t want any of that. That’s why they’ve been so cautious. Anytime you get a hamstring, it’s not what you want but been doing my best to try to get back out there.”
A healthy Jones and a full-strength offensive line – relatively speaking, anyway – should provide a lift to a Green Bay offense that has struggled to start the season.
Receiver Christian Watson missed the first three games with a hamstring injury. Jones suffered a hamstring injury during the third quarter of the opener, missed the next two games and got limited snaps against Detroit. Left tackle David Bakhtiari played only in Week 1. Jenkins suffered a knee injury early in Week 2. Tom suffered a knee injury during the game-winning drive in Week 3. Runyan sustained an ankle injury early in Week 4.
While Bakhtiari said his season is over, the new No. 1 line of left tackle Rasheed Walker, Jenkins, center Josh Myers, Runyan and Tom will be on the field against the Raiders barring an unexpected setback.
“I think any time you get a player of the caliber of Elgton Jenkins, that’s huge for you,” LaFleur said on Friday. “And to have all those guys out there would be great. Definitely has played a lot of ball at a high level for us and brings a mentality to our line that I think that we need.”
Safety Rudy Ford, who did not participate in practices on Tuesday and Thursday due to an oblique injury, worked for a second consecutive day and is the third starter who is questionable.
Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell (ankle) is the only starter who was ruled out by LaFleur.
For the Raiders, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is ready to go after missing last week with a concussion. Presumably, he will be throwing early and often to Adams, who is second in the NFL with 50 targets.
“When you get your starting quarterback back, I think the whole team feels it,” Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said on Saturday. “But I thought our team responded the right way in terms of who's practicing and all the rest of it last week. I don't think they treated it any differently. They respect everybody else. Aidan [O'Connell] and Brian [Hoyer] were both preparing hard to be ready to go and I thought they handled that the right way.
“But I think anytime your starting quarterback comes back from something like that, I think you feel that difference. He's earned that.”
Nate Hobbs, the team’s usual nickel corner, is out. Jakorian Bennett, who starts alongside veteran Marcus Peters at corner, is questionable. He was limited participation all week.
Packers Final Injury Report
Out: S Zayne Anderson (hamstring), LB De’Vondre Campbell (ankle).
Questionable: S Rudy Ford (oblique), CB Eric Stokes (foot), CB Jaire Alexander (back), RB Aaron Jones (hamstring).
Raiders Final Injury Report
Out: CB Nate Hobbs (ankle).
Questionable: WR Davante Adams (shoulder), CB Jakorian Bennett (hamstring/shoulder), David Long (ankle).
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