Why isn’t AJ Dillon playing for the Packers against the Cowboys?
The Packers are the clear underdogs against the Cowboys who clinched the NFC East title and it’s made more complicated by their injured running back.
On Sunday night, the No. 7 seeded Green Bay Packers will be on the road to face the No. 2 seeded Dallas Cowboys at 4:30 p.m. ET in the Wild Card Round of the 2024 NFL Playoffs. Unfortunately, it now seems all but certain that they will be doing so without the services of their star running back, who missed their Week 18 win against the Bears, a game that secured the team’s playoff berth.
Packers not likely to have AJ Dillon for the Wild Card Round
To bring you up to speed on AJ Dillon’s current situation, the 25-year-old has been nursing both a fractured thumb and a problem with his neck. To that end, his status has been largely touch-and-go over the last few days. Indeed, Dillon is officially listed as doubtful going into the team’s Wild Card Round clash with the Dallas Cowboys, and by all accounts will not take to the field when kickoff occurs on Sunday afternoon. Assuming that’s the case, it will be Aaron Jones who will cover for him. For his part, Jones had an impressive shift against the Bears as he totaled just over 140 yards across 30 touches. While this is a major blow for the Packers against a team that was already considered the favorite, all is not lost. If they can control the clock from early on in the game, they’ve got a shot and that’s before we touch on Jones’ contribution.
There are some other injury worries for the Packers
Aside from Dillon, there are two other concerning names on the Packers’ final injury report: Jaire Alexander and Christian Watson. Where the former is concerned, the cornerback has been struggling to recover from an ankle injury that he surprisingly suffered during Wednesday’s jog-through practice. At this point, he’s considered a game-time decision, but don’t be surprised if he’s unable to take the field, in which case it will be Corey Ballentine who starts in his place. This brings us to Watson. The wide receiver is currently nursing a hamstring injury which head coach Matt LaFleur seemed optimistic about. On the other hand, the wide receiver, like Alexander, appears to be a game-time decision. Should it be that he can’t join the team, the Packers can at least take comfort in the idea that their pass-catching corps is the one area where they have an abundance of talent. Stay tuned.