Before the Pittsburgh Steelers take the field for their Week 2 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2, the Green Bay Packers hosted the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football. The Packers look like the real deal after earning their second effortless win... but it didn't come without a price.
On the first drive of the game, starting wide receiver Jayden Reed went down in pain after making a diving touchdown catch, which was quickly called back due to a penalty on rookie offensive tackle Anthony Belton.
Unfortunately, Green Bay lost more than a touchdown on the opening drive—they lost one of their best offensive players for the foreseeable future.
Reed was quickly shuffled off to the locker room, hanging his arm. He was later ruled out for the game, but the Packers' worst fears were confirmed. Reed had suffered a broken collarbone, head coach Matt LaFleur said after the game. Though the team expects him back at some point this season, he's headed to IR and will be out for the foreseeable future.
The Pittsburgh Steelers unlikely to see WR Jayden Reed in Week 8 SNF game vs. Green Bay Packers
A broken collarbone isn't the end of the world. Jayden Reed should be able to return to the field in the second half of the season. However, this typically comes with an average return time of 6-8 weeks, and if the collarbone requires operative treatment, the Packers could be looking at 8-9 weeks until he's healthy enough to return.
Either way, the Steelers will host the Packers for Sunday Night Football in Week 8, and because this injury occurred in Week 2, it's safe to assume that LaFleur won't rush his starting wide receiver back to the field. This is a potentially big blow for Green Bay.
While the Packers have the deepest wide receiver room in the NFL, they are also dealing with injuries. Former second-round pick Christian Watson is still recovering from an ACL injury. Now Reed is the latest victim of the injury bug.
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In his first two NFL seasons, Reed has averaged 825 receiving yards and seven touchdowns per year. Though he hasn't seen more than 94 targets yet in a season, Reed has aided Jordan Love to a passer rating of 127.4 when throwing in his direction.
Reed's injury could make it easier for the Pittsburgh Steelers' secondary to narrow in on slowing down Josh Jacobs and the rushing attack. Unfortunately, they will still need to find a way to contain breakout tight end Tyler Kraft, while first-round pick Matthew Golden might be rolling by this point in the season.
The Green Bay Packers just stacked back-to-back impressive wins over the Lions and Commanders, respectively, and they have superstar defender Micah Parsons added to the mix. The Pittsburgh Steelers will have their hands full for their Week 8 matchup, but the expected absence of Jayden Reed could play a factor in this Sunday Night Football contest.