The Packers are going to be without outside linebacker Clay Matthews for a month or so after surgery to repair a broken right thumb, but coach Mike McCarthy said that was a decision Matthews himself might not necessarily have made.
“I think if Clay Matthews had his preference he’d be playing in this week’s game,” McCarthy said, via Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “But, like I said, every injury is different and this is clearly a medical decision as far as the path that he has to go and what occurred in the surgery.”
McCarthy would only say that Matthews would miss “multiple weeks,” and that he’d need to wear a cast when he did return to the field.
“Clay Matthews is our best player on defense,” McCarthy said. “But this is pro football. We’ve been down this road before. It’s an excellent opportunity for others to step up and make plays and be a part of packages as we get ready for an excellent Baltimore Raven football team.
“Every one of those injuries are different as far as the procedure, when you can play with a cast. It’ll be at least a couple weeks.”
The Packers got three sacks out of Nick Perry and Mike Neal last week against the Lions, and they’ll need similar production moving forward.