Dealing with injuries, Packers get key contributions from backups v. Miami

As the old saying goes, football is the ultimate team game. The Green Bay Packers, unfortunately, suffered several key injuries during the first half against Miami, however, they were still able to come away with the victory in part due to the play of the backups that came in and the contributions that they were able to provide.

Throughout the course of the first two quarters, Dean Lowry would leave with a calf injury. Keisean Nixon with a groin injury. Yosh Nijman injured his shoulder, and Christian Watson was sidelined with a hip injury. All were initially listed as questionable to return, but none of them were able to.

In place of Nixon on kick returns was Romeo Doubs, who wasn’t flashy by any means, averaging just 20 yards per return, but he provided stability–something that hasn’t been easy to come by for Green Bay over the years. On defense, it was Innis Gaines who filled in for Nixon as the slot cornerback. We also saw Darnell Savage come off the bench in the second half to play safety, as did rookie Tariq Carpenter. All three, Gaines, Savage, and Carpenter, were on the field playing important roles in the Packers’ second-half shutout and limited Miami’s big plays, holding Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to 66 combined yards while Tua Tagovailoa threw for just 81.

The injury to Lowry meant more opportunities for rookie Devonte Wyatt, who was able to once again take advantage, recording a few pressures. Green Bay’s ability to get after Tua Tagovailoa and get him out of the pocket was one of the key factors that led to their defensive turnaround.

At right tackle for Nijman was Royce Newman. And while no, it wasn’t the best performance by any means, as Newman was called for a pair of penalties, he was able to do enough to give Aaron Rodgers time for the most part against the blitz-heavy Dolphins. PFF credited Newman with only one pressure given up and the offense seemed relatively unchanged without Nijman.

"“Thump (Innis Gaines) going in there and doing a great job,” said Matt LaFleur after the game. “I thought Sav (Darnell Savage) went in there, and he’s been a pro throughout this deal where he wasn’t playing as much, and he went out there and made a difference for us in the second half. Offensively, you got Royce Newman going in there at tackle. But that’s what it takes. So losing those guys, but it was cool to see, whenever you do lose somebody, who’s going to step up, who’s going to take the opportunity. I also noticed Devonte Wyatt was out there a lot more than what he has been, and I thought he did an outstanding job.”"

Lastly, there was never any injury designation for Aaron Jones, but he had been on the injury report throughout the week and only had eight total touches. So at times, we saw Patrick Taylor, who had two huge plays on the Packers’ touchdown drive to open the second half. He first came down with a big third-down conversion and then later picked up a blitzer that allowed Rodgers to find Marcedes Lewis down the sidelines.

This was very much a total team effort by the Green Bay Packers as they keep their playoff hopes alive and a gutsy win at that. It certainly felt like Miami had them on the ropes on a few occasions in the first half, and after losing several starters, things could have spiraled out of control for the Packers.

In addition to their win, the Packers also received a lot of help this weekend in regards to the playoffs. They, of course, need to win their final two games against Minnesota and Detroit, but now only need one Washington loss or two losses from the Giants.

Come Wednesday, when the Packers are back on the practice field, we will get a better idea of where each of these players are at with their injuries and what their availabilities may be for Sunday.

"“A lot of guys stepped up,” said Aaron Rodgers following the win. “Royce stepped up. Sav played a bunch. Innis was out there. 24 (Carpenter) was out there. PT (Patrick Taylor) played really well. So a lot of guys stepped up.”"