The Green Bay Packers‘ 23-20 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday afternoon put them back in the NFC Playoff picture, albeit by a slim margin. Indeed, Jordan Love and the offense looked just about as good as one could have hoped for, avoiding turnovers, throwing accurately deep down field, and getting into the end zone in the first half.
Unfortunately, the victory also saw the Packers saw two of their three running backs exit with significant injuries. Aaron Jones went down with a knee injury that, upon first glance, looked like it was going to be season-ending. While he did avoid a catastrophic injury, he is going to be out for a few weeks.
In addition to Jones, rookie running back Emanuel Wilson left the game with a separated shoulder. With the Packers’ facing the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, neither would be ready to play even if they did get good news on their medical tests.
This is why Green Bay decided to bring back Patrick Taylor on Monday, a development that he told his wife would happen mere minutes before he got the phone call.
Patrick Taylor Knew the Green Bay Packers Would Come Calling
After being released by the Packers earlier this season, Taylor was picked up by the New England Patriots and signed to their practice squad. New England was on a bye this week, so Taylor was watching the Packers’ game at home with his wife.
Taylor told reporters that when he saw Jones and Wilson get hurt, he told his wife, “I might be going back to Green Bay.” He then added, “Literally two minutes, three minutes after I said that, my agent called.”
The Green Bay Packers Have a Precarious Running Back Situation Going Into Thanksgiving
Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Taylor was signed to the Packers’ 53-man roster and will serve as the team’s backup to AJ Dillon on Thursday when they take on the Detroit Lions. Per NFL rules, the Packers must count Taylor as a member of their 53-man roster for a minimum of three weeks. Even if they were to release him after Thursday, he will still count (and be paid) for two more weeks.
Given the injury to Jones especially, though, it appears that Taylor will stick around for a while. In addition to his signing, the Packers also signed James Robinson to their practice squad. He, too, had been with Green Bay earlier this season, spending three weeks on the practice squad before being released in favor of rookie running back Ellis Merriweather.
When the Packers and Lions last met, the Packers were limited to just 27 rushing yards. They will certainly need to do better than that on Thanksgiving, though that will be a tall order with Jones. Dillon has been playing well as of late and will need to continue to do so if Green Bay has any hope of establishing the run game.
