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Packers defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt.
The Green Bay Packers had to close out Sunday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys without starting defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt in their lineup.
Wyatt suffered a knee injury in the second quarter of Sunday’s road game against the Cowboys and did not return for the remainder of the team’s 40-40 tie in overtime.
On the play, Wyatt had tried to run down Cowboys running back Miles Sanders on what would become an 8-yard reception, but he seemed to hit his knee awkwardly on the turf at the conclusion of the play when he dove after Sanders in an effort to bring him down.
Wyatt remained down on the field for a considerable amount of time, but he eventually walked off under his own power. Unfortunately, the Packers ruled him out with a knee injury early in the second half after initially designating him as questionable to return.
The Packers (2-1-1) will have additional time to let Wyatt recover from his knee injury with their bye coming up in Week 5. Until more is known about the extent of his injury, though, it is difficult to project whether he might need to miss more time after the bye.
The Packers won’t play another game until they host the Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) at Lambeau Field for a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday, October 12.
Nazir Stackhouse Struggled in Relief of Devonte Wyatt
With Wyatt missing more than half of Sunday’s game, the Packers had to adjust on the fly to ensure their defensive interior did not buckle against the Cowboys offense, which included them giving more defensive snaps to undrafted rookie Nazir Stackhouse.
Stackhouse made the Packers’ initial 53-man roster coming out of training camp this summer, benefiting from a strong preseason and the timely departure of Kenny Clark. In his first four games, however, the former Georgia standout has achieved very little.
Stackhouse entered Sunday’s game against the Cowboys with just one pressure and an assisted tackle on 21 defensive snaps in the first three weeks. While he played more in Wyatt’s absence and finished with a career-high three tackles, he also lost several of his blocking matchups, including during at least one of the Packers’ failed goal-line stands.
Now, Stackhouse is not a lost cause because he had an uneven performance against the Cowboys on Sunday, but it would also be difficult to say confidently at this point that he is ready to take on a bigger role, in the event that Wyatt misses time with his injury.
Micah Parsons Had Brief Injury Scare vs. Cowboys
When the dust settled, Wyatt seemed to be the only significant injury that the Packers sustained against the Cowboys on Sunday, but they did have a few other incidents — including a short-lived injury scare with All-Pro defensive end Micah Parsons.
Parsons exited in the third quarter after his helmet collided with Packers cornerback Nate Hobbs as the pair of them tried to bring down Cowboys running back Javonte Williams on a run play. He also appeared to hurt his back from an awkward landing.
While the Packers took him into the blue medical tent to evaluate him for a concussion and held him out for the rest of the drive, they cleared him to return on the next drive. Parsons also dismissed any concerns about the injury after the game, saying that he did not think he had hit his head on the play and describing the situation as “weird.”
The Packers also saw Hobbs (concussion) and running back Josh Jacobs (knee) exit the game in the second half with injuries. While Jacobs returned and played through the end of the fourth quarter, Hobbs remained on the sideline for the rest of the game.
Jordan J. Wilson is a sports reporter who covers the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. He has previously covered all levels of sports — high school, college and pro — for a variety of publications including The Indianapolis Star, The News-Gazette, Springfield State-Journal Register and Peoria Journal Star. More about Jordan J. Wilson
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