Will Green Bay Packers rookie Jayden Reed, after missing the first two practices of the week, be able to play in Sunday night’s showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs?
“I’m just taking it day by day, following the plan and hoping to be out there on Sunday,” Reed said.
With Reed fighting through a chest injury, coach Matt LaFleur said a Friday practice would be enough for his high-impact receiver to get on the field.
How does a player, who is learning and improving every week and is hoping to face one of the NFL’s elite defenses, get ready for a game without getting those valuable practice reps?
“Definitely just lock in more mentally,” Reed said. “Just know where I’m supposed to be on certain plays and watch the person in my position. Just know the playbook, study the playbook a little bit more just so I know where I’m at when I get out there.”
While that’s “definitely not” ideal, as offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said, there’s more to preparing for a game than reps on the practice field. There are walk-through sessions in the CRIC – the team’s conditioning, rehab and instruction center – that allow Reed to go through the looks in a low-impact setting.
“He can handle it,” Stenavich said. “At this point in the season, with the stuff that we’ve put on their plate, anytime a guy misses reps or you miss practice as a young guy, when you go into the game and you’re like, ‘All right, he’s playing,’ you kind of pick and choose the spots where you can put him in and make sure that you put him in spots where he’s going to be comfortable and ready to go.”
Reed was injured on a hard hit against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11. He played through the injury in that victory, then did it again on a short week in the Week 12 upset victory over the Detroit Lions.
Showing his toughness, he ran for a touchdown and set a career high with 92 total yards against the Chargers and caught a touchdown vs. the Lions. After getting two carries in the first nine games, he’s had five the past two.
“That’s how I go about things,” Reed said of his toughness. “I missed one game in my whole career. I’ve played with a lot of injuries. Just take it day by day. It’s just what comes with it. I understand that and just take care of my body and try to get as best as I can.”
Reed wouldn’t elaborate on the specifics of the injury – chest is a vague term – but did say nothing but rest will heal whatever the issue.
Thus, sitting out the last two days might be the team’s way of getting an incredibly valuable player as healthy as possible for Sunday night and the stretch run of the season.
So, might the injury be a limiting factor on Sunday?
“I don’t think so,” Reed said. “Just taking it day by day.”
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