The Green Bay Packers pulled off the upset of the wild card round by defeating the Dallas Cowboys on the road, 48-32, with Jordan Love putting on a great performance in his first playoff start, completing 76.2% of his passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns. The next test for the Packers is another road trip, this time to the San Francisco 49ers — the top seed in the NFC. The Packers sit at +3000 on Super Bowl odds boards.
The 49ers () are the overwhelming favorites for the divisional round game, and recent playoff history suggests that this might not be a good matchup for the Packers. But after the Packers walked all over the Cowboys in Dallas on Sunday, it’s hard to write them off.
Green Bay Packers divisional round injury report
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Potential key missing players
Jaire Alexander
Alexander’s 2023 season has been a mixed affair. The former Pro Bowl corner played in just seven games in the regular season, and his off-the-field remarks have caught a lot of attention, but Alexander has still been a contributor when healthy this season. His 75.7 PFF coverage grade is 23rd among all cornerbacks in the NFL, and he still managed to force six incompletions in 2023.
At worst, Alexander is an adequate starter; at best, he’s one of the elite corners in the NFL. However, the Packers could be without him against the San Francisco 49ers. Alexander aggravated a left ankle injury in the win against Dallas and is questionable for Saturday’s game. Without Alexander, the Packers could have issues slowing down the likes of Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.
Kingsley Enagbare
Enagbare’s absence for Saturday is confirmed, as the second-year pass rusher tore his ACL against the Cowboys. Before his injury, Enagbare made his presence felt, racking up a game-high four pressures and hitting Dak Prescott twice. Enagbare has been a rotational rusher for the Packers this season, and the team still has Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, and Preston Smith. But the 49ers offense is a beast of its own.
Elgton Jenkins
The strength of the Packers’ offensive line has been a big reason for their success this season. It has allowed a pressure rate of just 28.9%, seventh-lowest in the NFL, per PFF. Elgton Jenkins has been one of the best guards in the league for a few years now, and his 81.0 PFF pass blocking grade is third-highest at his position.
However, he appeared on Tuesday’s injury report with knee/ankle injuries and could be in jeopardy of missing the divisional round if he continues to miss practice. If that happens, Royce Newman can step in at guard, but Jenkins is one of the best in the league.
