Packer Central

Packers-Lions Injury Report: Romeo Doubs, Jaire Alexander Limited Again

Only two players did not practice for the Packers on Tuesday, their last day before leaving for Detroit to face the Lions on Thursday night.

Bill Huber

The view inside the Don Hutson Center on Tuesday.
The view inside the Don Hutson Center on Tuesday. / Bill Huber/Packers On SI
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – With Sir Charles Jones’ “It’s Friday” playing inside the Don Hutson Center, Jaire Alexander and Romeo Doubs practiced as limited participation for a third consecutive day ahead of the Green Bay Packers’ NFC North showdown at the Detroit Lions on Thursday night.

As usual for the final practice of the week – the equivalent of a Friday practice before a Sunday game – reporters only got to see the team go through its warmup routine. The only players who did not practice were linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring) and cornerback Corey Ballentine (knee).

They did not practice at all this week and presumably will not play against the Lions.

Left guard Elgton Jenkins (knee), who did not practice on Monday, returned to practice on Tuesday.

This is an odd week from an injury report and scheduling perspective.

Last week, after the Packers beat the 49ers on Sunday, they had to produce injury reports on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for the Thursday night game against the Dolphins.

Even though going from one Thursday game to another means this was a normal seven-day workweek, the NFL oddly doesn’t change the reporting structure.

So, even though the teams’ Sunday practice was the equivalent of a typical Wednesday, the teams did not have to produce an injury report. They posted injury reports on Monday (a typical Thursday practice) and again on Tuesday (a typical Friday practice), but the questionable, doubtful and out designations will wait until Wednesday, when neither team will practice and the Packers will be on a flight to Detroit.

Alexander missed the last two games with a knee injury originally sustained at Jacksonville and aggravated after the bye at Chicago. He was limited participation for all three practices this week.

“We’ll have some conversations” before determining Alexander’s status, coach Matt LaFleur said after Tuesday’s practice.

Alexander’s availability will be determined after watching film of practice and will include a conversation with Alexander. This is a huge game for the Packers, who remain in the NFC North hunt. At the same time, other big games are on the horizon with the Packers on track to make the playoffs.

Doubs suffered a concussion against San Francisco and was inactive against Miami. He was limited participation at all three practices this week but remains in the concussion protocol, LaFleur said.

Is he trending toward playing on Thursday?

“I have no idea. I'm not a doctor,” LaFleur said.

Doubs is 30th in the NFL with nine third-down receptions that were turned into first downs. Three of those were against the 49ers before the concussion.

The Lions have 18 players on injured reserve and a few more key defenders who did not practice on Monday. To plug some holes, the Lions traded for former Packers star Za’Darius Smith and signed linebacker Kwon Alexander, defensive lineman Jonah Williams and safety Jamal Adams.

Can they help on a short week?

“Here’s a saying that we say in our defense room, ‘It’s not what we play, it’s how we play,’” Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn told reporters on Monday.

“So, if I can go in with four or five calls and they can play fast, they can play physical, they can play violent, that overcomes a lot of scheme. You can have as much scheme as you want, but players make the scheme. Actually, players make the style of play better than the scheme, if you think about it the right way, and our guys do a good job of that.”

In one bit of good news for them, starting cornerback Carlton Davis went from limited to full participation. He was inactive for the Thanksgiving victory over the Bears.

However, four key players, including left tackle Taylor Decker, did not practice.

Green Bay Packers Tuesday Injury Report

Did not participate: CB Corey Ballentine (knee), LB Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring).

Limited: CB Jaire Alexander (knee), DT Kenny Clark (rest), WR Romeo Doubs (concussion), RB Josh Jacobs (calf), LG Elgton Jenkins (knee), LB Isaiah McDuffie (ankle), C Josh Myers (pectoral), LT Rasheed Walker (knee), DT Colby Wooden (shoulder).

Full: TE John FitzPatrick (back).

Detroit Lions Tuesday Injury Report

Did not participate: LT Taylor Decker (knee), DT Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring), DE Josh Paschal (knee), DT D.J. Reader (shoulder).

Limited: CB Emmanuel Moseley (hamstring).

Full: CB Carlton Davis (knee).

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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.