Green Bay Packers receiver Jordy Nelson’s quest to make it onto the field for the NFC Championship Game has taken both good and bad turns.
According to head coach Mike McCarthy, Nelson practiced more Thursday than anticipated and is “making progress.” However, he’s being held out of Friday’s practice because of an illness.
McCarthy: Jordy Nelson is not here today due to illness. Practiced more yesterday than anticipated. Making progress.
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 20, 2017
One of the best receivers in the NFL, Nelson hasn’t had the best of luck since missing the entire 2015 season with an ACL injury on a freak non-contact play during preseason.
He played in all 16 games this season for Green Bay, catching a team-high 97 passes for 1,257 yards and 14 touchdowns. Then he was injured during the Wild Card Round on a hit to his rib cage, necessitating an overnight hospital stay to look after fractured ribs.
Nelson missed last weekend’s game thriller against the Dallas Cowboys and isn’t a sure thing to play this Sunday when the Packers play against the Atlanta Falcons for the NFC crown. He’s doing everything he can to get onto the field, but in addition to his struggle against the pain of his fractured ribs, now he’s sick. This isn’t good news, considering it was reported earlier this week he’s a longshot to play.
If the Packers hope to defeat the Falcons, who scored more than any team in the NFL this season, getting Nelson back would be ideal. However, even if he does manage to suit up for the NFC Championship Game, it’s no guarantee he’d be anything more than a glorified decoy given his injury.