‘Shock factor’ will stick with Packers for a while

An offense already struggling to find its rhythm in the second half took a hit when running back AJ Dillon sustained a fractured rib while blocking on a kickoff return in the third quarter.

Dillon, who scored Green Bay’s lone touchdown on the opening drive, never had suffered a rib injury before and thought he might be able to go back in the game at first.

After testing his ribs against a few of his teammates and feeling significant pain, it was clear Dillon wasn’t going to be able to return. While there isn’t any long-term concern with the injury, Dillon lamented not being able to finish the game.

“It’s really tough missing time always and especially in a game like that with that magnitude in a game where I feel like I could’ve helped make an impact,” said Dillon, who led Green Bay with 803 rushing yards and five TD runs this year.

Starting center Josh Myers put himself through a lot to return for a playoff run. In addition to a broken finger that became infected earlier this year, Myers tore his medial collateral ligament in his knee and sustained a tibial plateau fracture against Chicago in Week 6.

Both injuries required surgery, with Myers having a plate and six screws put into his tibia. He was non-weight-bearing for six weeks after the surgery. He returned in the regular-season finale against Detroit and played all 56 snaps against the 49ers.

“It was a year with a lot of ups and downs, a lot of things that were unfortunate for myself,” Myers said. “I learned a lot about myself this season and just how to battle back, but I think I can take those experiences and learn from them and be better in the future.”

Like most of his teammates, Myers hasn’t watched the film yet from the game. He likely will at some point this week, but as the Packers wrap up their 2021-22 season, the disappointment of coming up short remains fresh on Myers’ mind.

“I think that shock factor might stick around for a while, to be honest with you,” Myers said. “I don’t think any of us, a single one of us had it in the plan. We didn’t plan for this whatsoever.

“So, there’s just shock, sadness, you just never know what’s going to happen. You don’t know who’s going to be here, who’s not going to be here. So, it’s honestly just really sad.”