Steelers Now
The Green Bay Packers could be without a couple of key starters on Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In the final injury report of the week, the Packers listed wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (calf) and defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness (knee) as out. Neither practiced all week. In addition, wide receivers Christian Watson (knee) and Matthew Golden (hip) and kicker Brandon McManus (right quad) were listed as questionable.
Packers running back Josh Jacobs (calf) is off the injury report and doesn’t have an injury designation for Sunday night.
Watson recently revealed that he has the intention of returning to the field on Sunday Night Football.
“My goal and my plan is to play this week,” Watson said, adding that he felt ready last week.
Watson has not played at all this season as he has been rehabbing from a torn ACL that ended his 2024 season in Week 18. He returned to practice on Oct. 6, which makes his 21-day window set to expire on Oct. 27.
The 26-year-old has provided big-play ability for Green Bay’s offense since being selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Over the past few years, he has recorded 98 catches for 1,653 yards (16.9 yards per catch) and 14 touchdowns. He has also done some damage on the ground, with 15 rushes for 114 yards and two more scores.
Watson will potentially join veteran Romeo Doubs and rookies Matthew Golden and Savion Williams on the field come Sunday.
As mentioned, Golden is also questionable and Wicks has been ruled out. If limited at the wide receiver position, Jordan Love still has two quality tight ends to throw to in Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave. Jacobs is also a receiving threat out of the backfield.
A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Watson played college ball at North Dakota State, where he racked up 104 receptions for 2,134 yards and 14 touchdowns from 2018-21.
Golden wasn’t on the injury report until Friday, so his questionable status came as a surprise. The blazing-fast rookie out of Texas has caught 18 passes for 249 yards (13.8 average) this season.
McManus has missed the past two games after straining his quad in practice on Oct. 8.
“He kicked well,” head coach Matt LaFleur said of McManus on Friday. “My conversation with him (Friday) morning, he said he feels great. So, again, that will be a medical decision at the end of the day.”
Second-year veteran Lucas Havrisik will suit up if McManus can’t go. Havrisik was 10 of 10 on his kicks in McManus’ absence. He made a franchise-record 61-yard field goal before halftime against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Aaron Becker contributed reporting for this story.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Packers Could Be Without Several Key Players vs. Steelers
