There weren’t many Packers left standing by the end of the game.
But the fact that wide receiver Jordy Nelson played at all was amazing to his teammates, and moving.
Via Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was emotional, and had to pause to compose himself when asked about Nelson’s return to play in the NFC Championship Game after being injured in the Wild Card Round against the Giants.
“I’m so proud of Jordy,” Rodgers said. “It’s incredible that he was out there.”
Nelson didn’t play last week against the Cowboys, and was wearing a Kevlar vest and enough padding to make him look like the Michelin man, but had six receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown in the loss to the Falcons.
“All along I was planning on [playing], all the way back from the Giants game, to be honest with you. I was able to get the nod and go out there and play,” Nelson said. “Everyone at this point in the league is doing it. You play as many games as we do, everyone’s going to be banged up. When it comes to playoff time, everyone has to gut it out and do what they can to be on the field and make plays.”
The injuries got ridiculous for the Packers late in the game, as wide receivers Davante Adams (ankle) and Geronimo Allison (hamstring) were playing despite being limited last week. All three were on the bench late in the game, when it was out of reach.
They also lost three starting offensive linemen to injuries during the game [Left guard Lane Taylor (knee), right guard T.J. Lang (foot), and right tackle Bryan Bulaga (possible concussion)] and had to use defensive tackle Letroy Guion at guard to finish the game.
“It’s never easy to watch your players get injured, especially if it’s in a serious nature. Frankly, I’m a little numb to it,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “This is kind of how we’ve had to deal with it. We’ve been able to overcome it. Today, we could not.”
Safety Micah Hyde (shoulder), inside linebacker Jake Ryan (shoulder), safety Kentrell Brice (shoulder), and running back Ty Montgomery (ribs) also left the game and weren’t able to finish.