It appears that, as feared, Green Bay Packers quarterback and reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Aaron Rodgers will be without his top three wide receivers for Thursday's prime-time clash at the unbeaten Arizona Cardinals.
According to Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk, Marquez Valdes-Scantling is not yet recovered enough from the hamstring issue that landed him on injured reserve to play Thursday night for a 6-1 Packers side looking to win its seventh consecutive contest.
It was already known that both star wide receiver Davante Adams and Allen Lazard were not going to clear COVID-19 protocols in time for the midweek matchup. Adams didn't travel to Arizona, and Lazard was deemed a high-risk close contact as an unvaccinated player, meaning he couldn't return to team activities before Thursday night.
By all accounts, Rodgers and company were bracing for this reality. Veteran Randall Cobb, fifth on the Packers with 14 catches and fourth with 179 receiving yards this season, per ESPN stats, is on track to be Green Bay's WR1 versus the Cardinals. Tight end Robert Tonyan should also see an uptick in targets. Tonyan has 15 receptions for 155 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the campaign.
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