The Green Bay Packers are still reeling from their 38-10 thrashing by the New York Giants on Sunday night, but the team has reason for optimism, as a number of players look ready to return from injury.
Wide receiver Greg Jennings is set to play for the first time in seven games against the Minnesota Vikings after missing time with abdominal and groin injuries.
Jennings participated in full practice on Wednesday and will play on Sunday, according to coach Mike McCarthy.
He was inactive last week against the Giants, but made great progress during the week.
"I felt no pain whatsoever," Jennings said last week to the Associated Press. "It's been a long time coming since I could say that."
Jennings injured his groin in the first game of the season, a 30-22 loss against the San Francisco 49ers.
He sat in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears and retuned for the team's 14-12 loss to Seattle on Monday night, which was the game the replacement referees botched the touchdown call, giving the win to the Seahawks. The last game he played was a 28-27 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 4 at home.
This season Jennings has caught 12 balls for 78 yards and one touchdown in three games. His absence has led the emergence of wide receiver Randall Cobb, who has 58 receptions for 617 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns this year.
When asked about how much he will play on Sunday, Jennings said he could handle a full game with no restrictions.
"If I had a say, I would just say just let me go," Jennings said to ESPN.com. "I'm good. There's no need for that. But I can't control that part of it. When my number gets called, I'm going to be ready to go." The Packers' star wideout should be available in Week 13, but be sure to watch his status as the week rolls along.
Jennings was drafted in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft and has developed a great rapport with quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the football field while becoming the Packers' top receiver.
In his career, Jennings has made 401 receptions for 6,249 yards and 50 touchdowns. During Green Bay's run to the Super Bowl in 2010, he caught 125 balls for 1,286 yards and 12 touchdowns in the regular season, while adding 21 catches for 303 yards and two touchdowns in the playoffs.
Line backer Clay Matthews and is injured hamstring is progressing for the Packers, but he is not healthy enough to start on Sunday. McCarthy said that Matthews "is close" to returning, according to ESPN.com.
Matthews returned to practice on Wednesday and participated in individual rehab drills for the first time with the team, according to CBSSports.com.
"He wants the opportunity to talk again on Friday, so he's getting close," McCarthy said after Wednesday's practice to CBS Sports. "I think it would be a stretch for him to play in the game. But we'll have him evaluated again on Friday and see how the week of rehab goes."
Matthews hurt his hamstring in the team's 31-17 victory against the Arizona Cardinals and then missed the next two games, a 24-20 win over Detroit and the 38-10 loss to the Giants on Sunday.
The game last week showed how badly the Packers miss Matthews. The team had issues putting pressure on Eli Manning, sacking him only once, and gave up 147 rushing yards to the Giants.
Clay Matthews is an outstanding football player; he's clearly one of the best defensive players in the National Football League," McCarthy said. "He makes an impact play every time he plays the game, with just the way the offense approaches him, his playmaking ability."
In Matthews absence, Erik Walden, Frank Zombo and Dezman Moses have played time at linebacker. Moses has been the most consistent of the bunch, making two sacks and forcing a fumble in the two games Matthews has missed.
"I've worked hard to earn a roster spot," Moses said. "I'm just doing my job. Obviously, we would love to have Clay in there, but it's given me an opportunity to show the coaches the type of player I can be. I'm still developing every week. It's a great opportunity, I'm excited about it; still have some work to do."
This season Matthews has recorded 31 tackles, 9.0 sacks and forced one fumble.
"We've been playing a few weeks without Clay. It'll be great when we do get him back, but team defense, team special teams -- it takes all 11 guys being coordinated," McCarthy said. "I felt that we were making good progress as a defense. We did not play our best game on Sunday, but it'll be great when Clay does come back."
The Packers may be down a running back on Sunday against the Vikings, as NFL.com reports that Cedric Benson will not return to practice this week.
Benson has been dealing with a foot injury since Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts. Alex Green and James Starks have played in his place, but the team has struggled rushing the ball this year, ranking 23rd in the league with just over 100 yards per game.
