The Green Bay Packers loss in Week 6 to the New York Jets was painful enough for the franchise, but the Randall Cobb injury could further deplete one of the worst offenses in the NFL.
During the third quarter of Sunday’s game, Cobb suffered an ankle injury that forced him to leave the game. As the cart took Cobb into the locker room, cameras showed him visibly distraught, facing uncertainty about how long he would be sidelined. While Green Bay immediately ruled out a broken ankle, testing on Monday would reveal the full extent of the issue and provide a potential timeline for how long the veteran wideout would be sidelined.
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At his press conference on Monday, head coach Matt LaFleur announced that Cobb will miss several weeks due to the ankle injury. Fortunately for the team, it is not as serious as they initially feared and they don’t expect him to miss significant time.
“It’s not going to be like a one-week deal or anything like that; I think he’s going to miss some time. But he definitely avoided a serious injury.”
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur on Randall Cobb
Green Bay is considering placing Cobb on injured reserve. If that happens, the 32-year-old wide receiver would be required to miss at least the next four games. It would mean he couldn’t return until Nov. 16, when the Packers face the Tennessee Titans in Week 11 on Thursday Night Football.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Cobb is expected to miss 2-4 weeks of action. Considering the Packers’ medical staff is known for being very cautious with injuries, especially soft-tissue injuries, there’s a distinct possibility that Cobb’s return is on the later end of the timeline. Placing him on injured reserve would also open up a roster spot for a healthy wideout.
All of this comes at a time when Green Bay is already thin at wide receiver. Christian Watson missed Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury and Sammy Watkins is currently on injured reserve, LaFleur indicated there is an opportunity for the team to open Watkins’ practice window this week, but he seems unlikely to return in Week 7.
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Impact of Randall Cobb injury on Green Bay Packers offense
Entering Week 7, Green Bay’s offense is one of the worst in the NFL. It ranks 31st in scoring rate on offensive drives (27.9%), 24th in scoring (17.8 PPG) and 19th in third-down conversion rate (38.4%). All of this came before quarterback Aaron Rodgers lost the pass-catcher he trusts the most right now when dropping back to throw.
- Randall Cobb stats (2022): 26 targets, 18 receptions, 257 receiving yards, 12 first downs
Through Green Bay’s first six games, Cobb ranks second on the team in first downs (12) and led the team in targets (26) before leaving in the third quarter and forcing Rodgers to rely heavily upon tight end Robert Tonyan. Of Rodgers’ 140 pass attempts this season, 18.5% have gone to Cobb.
With Watkins unlikely to return in Week 7 and Watson nothing more than a gadget player when healthy, Green Bay’s offense could encounter even more problems moving the football with Cobb sidelined. It should put more emphasis on Rodgers and LaFleur to move forward with a more run-heavy offense built around Aaron Jones, but the change that seemed necessary for weeks still hasn’t come.