The Green Bay Packers ruled out leading wide receiver Jordy Nelson with a rib injury for Sunday’s divisional playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Friday that team doctors would not medically clear the ninth-year veteran to practice Saturday.
Nelson has been sidelined because of cracked ribs he sustained in last Sunday’s 38-13 wild-card playoff win over the New York Giants.
Nelson is expected to travel with the team to Dallas and will be re-evaluated by team doctors on Monday, according to McCarthy.
“We’ll re-evaluate Monday,” McCarthy said when asked if Nelson could play in the NFC Championship Game if the Packers win at Dallas. “He’s actually in the training room now going through a workout.”
For the first time this season, the Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be without their top receiver, who led the team in receptions (97), receiving yards (1,257) and touchdown catches (14) during the regular season.
“It gives us one less receiver but obviously an extremely productive player,” McCarthy said Friday. “You just go back to the way the game plan was set — the importance and emphasis on Jordy Nelson. With that, that’s gone and you just tilt opportunities the other way.
“That’s the way you always have to approach these type of situations anytime you have a player of his magnitude who’s not available. That’s all part of developing a game plan. You have to do that during the early stages of the week We anticipated potentially not having him this week, so we’ll be prepared for that.”
Nelson’s absence will elevate now-healthy Randall Cobb (60 catches for 610 yards and four TDs) into the role of lead receiver. Cobb caught three touchdown passes against the Giants while accumulating five receptions for 116 yards.