Packer Central

Inactives: Four Starters Out for Packers; Two Return for Vikings

Green Bay Packers receiver Christian Watson, who was questionable with a knee injury, will not play against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Here’s who’s in and who’s out.

Bill Huber

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson catches a pass against the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 1, 2022.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson catches a pass against the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 1, 2022. / MARK HOFFMAN/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL / USA TODAY NETWORK
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MINNEAPOLIS – Green Bay Packers receiver Christian Watson, who was questionable on Friday’s injury report, is inactive for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Safety Javon Bullard, who also was questionable, is active.

Watson suffered a knee injury late in the first half last week against the Saints. He did not practice this week.

Along with Watson, the Packers will line up without:

Cornerback Jaire Alexander will miss a sixth consecutive season with a knee injury sustained at Jacksonville on Oct. 27. He was ruled out on Friday’s injury report.

Alexander has played 37.8 percent of the defensive snaps this season, including 10 snaps against the Bears in his only game since the injury, but remains second on the team with seven passes defensed.

The Packers could have put him on injured reserve, but they never needed the roster spot. Because he stayed on the active roster, he has continued to practice so there should be minimal rust when he does return – and the belief is he will return to action this season.

Linebacker Quay Walker will miss a second consecutive game with an ankle injury sustained during the win at Seattle. He leads the team with 102 tackles and nine tackles for losses. He didn’t practice this week and was ruled out on Friday.

Without Walker last week, rookie Edgerrin Cooper played his second-highest percentage of the snaps this season.

“We are highlighting him,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said on Thursday. “We’re sending him, he’s running games. I think we’re doing a good job of highlighting him right now, and I’m not sure there’s much more we can do with him. I think as he continues to develop, we can (do more), but I think we’re doing a pretty good job of that right now.”

Safety Evan Williams will miss a second consecutive game with a quad injury sustained during the final practice before Monday night’s win against the Saints. Williams, who is one of three players on the team with at least one interception, one forced fumble and multiple pass breakups, didn’t practice this week and was ruled out on Friday.

Zayne Anderson could make his second career start and his second consecutive start. He had an interception last week.

“Last week at this time, Evan was still healthy and practicing,” Hafley said on Thursday. “Evan didn’t get hurt until (Saturday) afternoon in practice. Zayne didn’t get all those practice reps. He barely practiced. That’s like a nightmare for a coach. There’d no rewinding the clock to get Zayne all those reps that he needs to play in the game.

“So, credit (to) Zayne, because if Zayne were sitting in the classroom as RD and DA (assistant coaches Ryan Downard and Derrick Ansley) are going over the stuff with him and really not paying attention – like really paying attention, not just saying, ‘Ah, what if I get in.’ But no, really paying attention, taking the coaching, going through mental reps, watching when the other guys are out there doing it, and then it’s easier.”

Watson, who had emerged as Green Bay’s No. 1 receiver from a snaps perspective, will miss his second game this season. That will put the pressure on Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks to carry the load. Plus, Malik Heath is active after being a healthy scratch the last two games.

While Alexander and Williams are out, Bullard is back after missing the last two games with an ankle injury sustained at Detroit. He’s fifth on the team with 69 tackles, but his only pass breakup came in Week 2 and his only tackle for loss came in Week 4.

“I think he’s done a good job of staying locked in, so I feel like it’s pretty seamless, if you will, to get back in there,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Friday. “It’s just what direction we want to go.”

Will Bullard play safety, his drafted position and where he spent training camp and the start of the season? Or will he stay in the slot, where he’s spent most of the regular season?

Green Bay’s other inactives are veteran offensive tackle Andre Dillard (concussion) and undrafted rookie safety Omar Brown, who was elevated from the practice squad on Saturday.

The Vikings will regain the services of two starting defenders: safety Harrison Smith and linebacker Ivan Pace.

Smith is a six-time Pro Bowler. He’s fourth on the team with 79 tackles and tied for third with nine passes defensed.

Pace, an undrafted rookie last year who emerged as an impact starter, is back off a four-game stint on injured reserve. He’s got three sacks, six tackles for losses and six quarterback hits.

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.