GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - The Green Bay Packers may not know the status of injured receivers Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams and Geronimo Allison until just before the NFC championship game on Sunday.
Coach Mike McCarthy said on Friday that all three receivers would be “given every chance to play in the game.”
The Packers didn’t have on-field work on Friday, when all three players were listed as questionable on the injury report.
The team may make a decision on the receivers after the final practice of the week on Saturday, though McCarthy said that it was possible that at least one or two players may be pushed back to just before the game on Sunday in Atlanta against the Falcons.
Nelson was limited in practice this week as he recovers from broken ribs. He led the NFL with 14 touchdown catches.
Nelson wasn’t at Lambeau Field on Friday because of an unrelated illness, McCarthy said. He apparently came down with a bug that bothered kicker Mason Crosby earlier in the week, as well as quarterback Aaron Rodgers later in the week.
“Rest. Fluids. All that stuff. We’ll be OK,” Rodgers said.
Adams, who has an ankle injury, had 12 touchdown catches. Nelson and Adams were the top two receivers for Rodgers in the passing game.
Allison, a rookie, emerged in the last couple of weeks of the regular season with eight catches for 157 yards and a score while filling in when Randall Cobb was hurt. Allison has a hamstring injury.
Illness shouldn’t have any bearing on the decision about Nelson after he looked good in practice this week, McCarthy said.
“It was good to have him out there,” McCarthy said. “Really today was the most important day for those three (receivers), so really the information that comes out of the training room today will give us a better idea where we are.”
The Packers are left with Cobb, along with third-year player Jeff Janis and rookie Trevor Davis at receiver.
Janis and Davis each had their first regular-season touchdown catches during the teams’ meeting in the regular season in October, when Cobb missed the game with ankle injury and then-receiver Ty Montgomery sat out because of illness.
Montgomery has since been moved to running back, though he remains a pass-catching threat out of the backfield.
Notes: S Morgan Burnett (quad) and CB Quinten Rollins (neck/concussion) were also listed as questionable for Sunday. Burnett missed the first two days of practice this week, while Rollins has been limited. … JC Tretter, who started the first seven games this season at center, had knee surgery on Tuesday, McCarthy said. The Packers have an option to put Tretter on injured reserve to free up a spot on the 53-man roster to help fill depth at other positions. Their practice squad includes two receivers and two defensive backs.
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