Packers-Bears Inactives: Only Christian Watson Out Among Playmakers

For the biggest game of the season, the Green Bay Packers will have almost all of their passing-game weapons for the win-and-in showdown against the Chicago Bears.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Jordan Love won’t have all his passing-game weapons for the Green Bay Packers’ for their win-and-in Week 18 home game against the Chicago Bears.

Close, though.

While receiver Christian Watson will miss a fifth consecutive game with a hamstring injury, rookie receivers Jayden Reed (chest) and Dontayvion Wicks (chest) and rookie tight end Luke Musgrave (kidney) are active.

All of those players were questionable on the final injury report.

Watson was optimistic that this would be the week. He practiced on Wednesday and Thursday.

“My passion is playing football, so now it’s looking a lot like I’m going to be able to play some football this Sunday,” Watson said. “I’m in a really good spot.”

After two good days, coach Matt LaFleur let Watson do some rehab work on Friday in hopes of getting him to Sunday. But on a seasonably chilly day on Lambeau Field’s sometimes-slick, late-season surface, the team opted to sit Watson for one more week in hopes of him being 100 percent ready to go for the playoff game that would await with a 10th consecutive victory over the Bears.

While Watson is out again, Wicks and Reed are back in the lineup. They will attack a Chicago secondary that is without its premier cornerback, Jaylon Johnson.

Reed is first on the team with 60 receptions, 681 yards and 10 total touchdowns and tied for first with eight receiving touchdowns. He scored two touchdowns in the first half last week at the Vikings before suffering a chest injury.

Wicks is tied for third with 33 receptions, third outright with 520 receiving yards and first with a 15.8-yard average. He suffered a chest injury on a touchdown on a touchdown catch late in the first half two weeks ago at Carolina and was inactive last week.

Musgrave is tied with Wicks with the 33 receptions. Those all came in the first 10 games before he suffered a lacerated kidney. He enters Sunday’s game needing two receptions and 23 yards to beat the franchise rookie tight end records of 34 catches for 363 yards set by Bubba Franks in 2000.

Outside linebacker Preston Smith, who has 2.5 sacks the last two games, is active after not practicing on Wednesday or Thursday.

On Friday, running back AJ Dillon (neck) and safety Rudy Ford (hamstring) were ruled out and linebacker Isaiah McDuffie (concussion) was doubtful.

Dillon and McDuffie are inactive; Ford was placed on injured reserve to clear a spot for Musgrave.

Along with Watson, Dillon and McDuffie, outside linebacker Brenton Cox and offensive tackle Caleb Jones are inactive, as has been the case for most of the season. Also inactive is receiver Grant DuBose, who was elevated from the practice squad on Saturday but will not get to play on Sunday.

For the Bears, Johnson is out – he’s allowing a 36.8 percent completion rate, according to Sports Info Solutions – but running back Khalil Herbert and slot defender Kyler Gordon are active.

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