The Packers Are Running Low on Bodies Before Thursday Night

Green Bay's home opener was supposed to be a get-well game. Instead the Packers walk into Thursday night against Atlanta missing their best offensive lineman, unsure about a top receiver, and squeezed into four days of rest to sort it out.

Right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele tore the patellar tendon in his right knee on the third snap of Sunday's overtime win over the Jets, the same tendon that partially tore in December. He was carted off, and the team expects him out for the season.

Second-year tackle Anthony Belton, a 2025 second-round pick who had already logged reps at right tackle, takes over. Left guard Aaron Banks is also nursing a toe injury from the same game and is questionable, meaning Green Bay could start two new linemen against Atlanta.

The bigger unknown is Jayden Reed. He caught a short pass on his second offensive snap against New York, took a hard hit, and was strapped down and carted off the MetLife Stadium field.

Reed stayed in the New York area overnight for testing before returning to Green Bay. The team's initial designation was a neck injury, though ESPN has since reported it may actually be to his back. Either way, coach Matt LaFleur said this week he has feeling and movement in his extremities but is still working through exams.

He did not practice Tuesday, and LaFleur offered no timetable. "It's way too early for that right now," he said. "He's got a lot going on."

Atlanta made the change because of performance, not injury. Cooper Rush was pulled in the third quarter of Sunday's 34-3 loss to Carolina after going 10 of 17 for no touchdowns and two interceptions, and backup Jack Strand threw a pick six on his first career attempt in relief. Rush finished his two turns as a starter with four interceptions against one touchdown.

The Falcons have scored eight points a game through two weeks, worst in the league, which is why Michael Penix Jr. was named the starter on Monday.

Penix, the No. 8 pick in 2024, is making his first start since tearing his ACL last November, the third knee surgery of his career dating to college. He was a full participant in Monday's practice report, and last season, before the injury, he completed 60.1 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns against three interceptions.

Tua Tagovailoa is not part of Thursday's plan. He has been out with an oblique injury since before the opener, and the Falcons are not expected to move on from him even once he's healthy, according to reporting on the situation.

Atlanta signed him to a one-year, $1.215 million deal after Miami released him in March. He now sits as the third quarterback on his own roster.

Both teams are working on four days' rest. Green Bay is installing its third look on the offensive line in three weeks. Atlanta is getting a new starting quarterback up to speed on a short week of his own.

The market has noticed the churn. Green Bay opened as a 7.5-point home favorite on the site's public card and has been bet down to -6, a point and a half toward Atlanta since the card went up Tuesday morning. The total has fallen from 46.5 to 43.5, three points off the open.

None of that is a prediction. The card's own model, treated as a read rather than a forecast, projects Green Bay by 6.7 points on a 44.3 total, close enough that the card's model shows only a "slight" 0.7-point divergence from the actual line, citing the quarterback change.

Its lean under 43.5 is labeled "market baseline only," meaning the total's move is not a strong signal from the model. The full history is posted on the site's public ledger.

Green Bay kicks off Thursday still waiting on final word on Reed and trusting a rebuilt offensive line to hold up on short rest.

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