On Monday, Green Bay Packers tackle David Bakhtiari was ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams by head coach Matt LaFleur. This news comes after Bakhtiari participated in just one of five practices since being activated off of the physically unable to perform list and after quarterback Aaron Rodgers called Bakhtiari’s status “unknown.”
On Tuesday, the unknown became known. Despite LaFleur being adamant that Bakhtiari did not face a setback and that Bakhtiari being held out was all part of his recovery process, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported this morning that Bakhtiari had a second surgery on his knee that the team now believes puts him in a position to return to the field in December. Mike Garafolo, also of the NFL Network, said Bakhtiari is “feeling much better” following the second surgery.
Hopefully, this means that Bakhtiari will be able to return by the Packers’ Week 15 to Week 17 stretch, where they will face the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings, all teams still alive in the playoff hunt. Baltimore and Minnesota are famous for their pressure fronts, as Packers fans saw first-hand last week in the 34-31 loss. Cleveland, on the other hand, might have the defensive player of the year in pass-rusher and former first overall pick Myles Garrett.
Green Bay has gotten out of three games with Yosh Nijman, the Packers’ third-string left tackle on paper, but with a lighter running back and tight end room now than during the stretch that Nijman played in earlier this year, the Packers’ left tackle situation might be more isolated than before.
