Preston Smith will play for the Green Bay Packers in Sunday’s must-win game against the Chicago Bears because, well, Smith always plays.
Smith was questionable on the final injury report with an ankle injury. He did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday.
Smith is one of the NFL’s tough guys. Drafted by Washington in 2015, he’s missed only one game in his career. Since missing that game in 2021, he has started all 43 regular-season games.
“He’s been the model of reliability throughout the course of his career,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “So, any time he’s not out there, you know it’s real. So, we’ll see. Obviously, we’re hopeful for him, but we’ve just got to, got a couple more days.”
At age 31, Smith is the oldest player on the roster. He also remains one of the best.
He’s up to eight sacks this season, making him one of 10 players in the NFL with three consecutive seasons of eight-plus sacks. From 2021 through 2023, Smith is tied for 17th with Rams star Aaron Donald and Bears counterpart Montez Sweat with 25.5 sacks.
Officially, since sacks became an official stat in 1982, his 41.5 sacks are tied with Ezra Johnson for sixth on the team’s all-time list. Unofficially, according to Pro Football Reference, he’s tied for 11th with Mike Butler.
In the back-to-back win over Carolina and Minnesota, Smith had 1.5 sacks against the Panthers and a game-changing sack/strip against the Vikings. He had a total of seven quarterback hits in those games.
“I’m just trying to do whatever it takes to help my team out,” Smith said after the Minnesota game. “To go out there and play for these guys and play with these guys is an honor. To play this long in the league is an honor, and I’m just trying to make sure I’m doing my part to help us have success on defense and for the team itself.”
His pressure will be key against the Bears on Sunday. He had two sacks against the Bears at Lambeau Field last year and two sacks against them at Lambeau in 2021, as well. He has 6.5 sacks against the Bears since joining the Packers in 2019.
More than sacks, his ability to set the edge will be critical in the big matchup against Justin Fields, who ranks second among quarterbacks in rushing yards.
“Obviously,” LaFleur said, “he knows how to take care of himself and be a pro. But I think some guys are just built to withstand, and I think he’s one of those guys. He’ll be able to fight through a lot of things. So, again, that gives us reason for optimism for this weekend.”
If the Packers can hold Fields in check, there’s a good chance their season will last at least one more week with a playoff game next week.
“It’s like Matt (LaFleur) says, we’re holding the pen. We’re writing our own story,” Smith said. “Regardless of what people said about us, we’re writing our own story. We got an opportunity to make something happen for ourselves, but we’re in control. We’re in the driver's seat and everything we do dictates the outcome.”
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