GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers may have found their right guard of the future.
Rookie second-round pick Anthony Belton didn’t start last Sunday against the Vikings, but he alternated series in the first half at right guard with 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan. After halftime, however, it was all Belton.
Head coach Matt LaFleur wouldn’t divulge whether Belton will start on Thursday afternoon against the Lions in Detroit, but he was nonetheless pleased with the mammoth rookie’s first substantial action since Week 3 and his first NFL game action at guard after filling in at tackle early this season.
“He came in there and he did a great job,” LaFleur said. “I thought he showed the physicality and the strain that we’re looking for at that position. Obviously, he’s a big man, first time playing guard, but I thought, all in all, I thought he did a pretty good job.”
The Packers began Belton in camp working strictly at tackle so as not to overload his plate. The team prefers its reserve offensive linemen to be able to fill in both at tackle and on the interior, and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said Belton has been practicing at guard for a couple of weeks now.
“Watching him play earlier this year before he hurt his ankle, we just saw what we had there and what we liked,” Stenavich said. “He obviously got injured, so it kind of set him back, but it was a move that we wanted to eventually do and give him a shot out there, and I thought he did a nice job of answering.”
Stenavich wouldn’t commit to Belton playing right guard long term, but the home stretch of this season may be his audition to lock down that spot for at least next season. Belton’s emergence this year means Morgan heads to the bench, but Morgan’s best position is left tackle, anyway. That’s likely where he’ll start next season after starter Rasheed Walker (probably) leaves in free agency.
“He’s going to keep competing,” Stenavich said of Morgan. “Just like any young player going through your ups and downs, just trying to find your best spot. But he’s going to keep competing. We’re going to keep working him in there and he’s going to be a good player for us.”
Key injuries to monitor
Josh Jacobs, RB: Jacobs told reporters last Thursday that the worst-case scenario for his knee injury was only missing one game. That DNP came last Sunday against the Vikings. Jacobs wasn’t present in the locker room during media availability on Tuesday and LaFleur said the team will see how Jacobs is feeling on Thursday morning, noting there are no actual practices this week to test Jacobs’ knee. Jacobs was listed as a limited participant on both Monday and Tuesday on the injury report estimation.
Jayden Reed, WR: Reed will have participated in only one legitimate practice since being designated to return from injured reserve come Thursday, and that came last Friday in a limited capacity. The third-year receiver hasn’t played since Week 2, after which he underwent foot and collarbone surgeries. He might be the Packers’ best wide receiver and most potent yards-after-catch threat with tight end Tucker Kraft out for the year, so even having him available on a snap count in Detroit would be helpful.
We’ll know by Wednesday afternoon if Reed will be available, since that’s when the Packers would activate him to the 53-man roster. He was also estimated as a limited participant on Monday and Tuesday.
“As long as he feels good and confident, I’m sure he can go out there in some capacity and help us, for sure,” Stenavich said.
Keisean Nixon, CB: Green Bay’s No. 1 cornerback suffered a neck injury in the second quarter last Sunday and missed the remainder of the game. He was upgraded from an estimated non-participant to a limited participant on Tuesday’s injury report estimation, but LaFleur said they’ll give Nixon up until inactives are due an hour and a half before Thursday’s game (figuratively speaking) before determining if he can play.
Lukas Van Ness, DE: Van Ness suffered a foot injury on his sack in Week 6 and missed five games despite never being put on injured reserve. The injury took longer to heal than the Packers anticipated and that recovery may now take even longer. Van Ness was an estimated DNP on Monday and Tuesday.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a setback,” LaFleur said. “I just think it’s just where he’s at, and we thought he might be able to go. And he tried to go and wasn’t feeling it, so that’s where he’s at.”
Linebacker Quay Walker suffered a stinger against the Giants in Week 11, didn’t practice the following week and didn’t play against the Vikings. He has been an estimated limited participant on Monday and Tuesday. So too has wide receiver Matthew Golden (wrist), who didn’t play against the Vikings. Wide receiver Savion Williams and defensive tackle Karl Brooks were estimated DNPs on Monday and Tuesday, but they both missed practice time last week and still played on Sunday.
What’s at stake
With a win Thursday against the Lions (7-4), the Packers (7-3-1) could sit atop the NFC North by Friday night. The Bears (8-3) visit the Eagles (8-3) on Friday afternoon and would fall below the Packers with a loss if Green Bay improves to 8-3-1.
The Packers would also jump to the No. 3 seed in the NFC in that scenario, in addition to starting 3-0 in the division and sweeping the Lions this season.
With a loss, however, the Packers would likely drop out of the playoff field entirely entering Week 14. If Green Bay loses and the 49ers beat the Browns in Cleveland on Sunday, the Packers will fall to No. 8 in the NFC.
“It is a big game,” defensive end Micah Parsons said. “Over the last couple weeks, we won some good games and we lost some good games. We have to find a way to win the good games again. We did it earlier in the season, but we got to find a way to do it Thursday.”
According to The Athletic’s NFL Playoff Simulator, the Packers currently have an 83 percent chance to make the playoffs and a 48 percent chance to win the division. With a win in Detroit, those percentages elevate to 94 and 72, respectively. With a loss, they fall to 73 and about 30 percent, respectively.
White Lightning
Perhaps the key to changing special teams fortunes in Green Bay once and for all is Zayne “White Lightning” Anderson.
The 28-year-old safety earned a game ball last Sunday for his role in Minnesota’s muffed punt that Anderson recovered at the Vikings’ 5-yard line. Punter Daniel Whelan referred to Anderson as “White Lightning” after the game and though special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia didn’t give Anderson the nickname, he certainly understands it.
“He can run now,” Bisaccia said. “He can run.”
Anderson doesn’t kick field goals or make returns, but perhaps his spark in coverage is what the chronically underwhelming third phase of the Packers needs.
“Obviously, the biggest thing to look at is when we lost him at the end of last year, what happened?” Bisaccia said. “We gave up a couple plays. He was in a valuable spot for us playing inside at personal protector and he moved outside playing the flier position for us. So having him back, he’s kind of a leader by example, whether it’s in practice or in the meeting room. He meets with the personal protectors on Tuesday. He meets with the fliers throughout the week, so he’s a vital part of what we’re trying to do here and what we’re trying to build here and he’s a good player. He gets free and he makes tackles. A lot of respect to him because he gets doubled a bunch on the kickoff team.”
Anderson, who filled in admirably at safety last season, doesn’t only impact special teams.
“That’s a guy that does all the little things right, has all the right habits and is a guy that constantly challenges just our whole room to be as good as they can be,” safety Evan Williams said. “You see him practicing his habits. He’s not even in the reps and you see him behind during walkthroughs getting those mental reps, stacking all those repetitions. So when he gets his opportunity, he plays like he did on Sunday. It’s really, really not a surprise at this point. He’s a guy that just does everything the right way and I remember last year, he gets his opportunity against the Saints, against a couple teams, gets a pick, is balling out, so yeah, as far as his habits and how he approaches the game, his mental approach, second to none.”
