The Lions won’t have to worry about blocking Clay Matthews this Sunday.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy ruled Matthews out for this weekend’s matchup with Detroit. Matthews hurt his hamstring in the team’s last game, a 31-17 win against the Cardinals in Week Nine. McCarthy said at the time that it would be a couple of weeks before Matthews was healthy enough to return and this is the second week. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports McCarthy said the team knew Matthews would be out and has planned for this game with his absence in mind.
McCarthy said that they’d see what happens next week, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the team proceeds cautiously with Matthews. He’s had hamstring issues earlier in his career with the Packers and the team has seen Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson aggravate a previous injury by returning quicker than may have been prudent this season.
Jennings also won’t play this week, but Nelson sounds set to be in the lineup. McCarthy said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, that Nelson has looked like his old self this week and should play on Sunday.