The lineup of quarterbacks in this year’s NFL Conference Championships is one of best in the history of the NFL. Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan, and Aaron Rodgers are four of the best around, and all four are performing at extraordinary levels. Many people are expecting shootouts on Sunday. But how will injuries affect NFL Conference Championship games?
With these four high-performance quarterbacks ready to go, one thing that sports bettors need to consider are the injury reports and how they may affect a team on both sides of the ball. Here’s a look at the four injury reports submitted by the NFL teams playing in the conference championships.
Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons
The Green Bay Packers were without wideout Jordy Nelson when they played and beat the Dallas Cowboys last week. Nelson is questionable for Sunday with the comment “Nelson (ribs) will not practice Friday due to an illness, but the ailment is not expected to threaten his availability for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game. against the Falcons” Look for Nelson to be on the field on Sunday.
The rest of the Green Bay injury report follows:
- Geronimo Allison, WR: Questionable, Jan 19
Comment: Allison (hamstring) was unable to practice Thursday. - Davante Adams, WR: Questionable, Jan 19
Comment: Adams (ankle) was a non-participant in practice Thursday. - Quinten Rollins, CB: Questionable, Jan 18
Comment: Head coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday that Rollins is closing in on clearing the concussion protocol, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. - Morgan Burnett, S: Questionable, Jan 18
Comment: Burnett (quadricep) didn’t take part in Wednesday’s practice, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports. - T.J. Lang, G: Questionable, Jan 18
Comment: questionable - James Starks, RB: Questionable, Jan 16
Comment: questionable
The Atlanta Falcons are relatively healthy. Wideout Julio Jones is listed as questionable on Jan 19 with the comment “Jones (toe) will be a non-participant at Thursday’s practice, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.” Chances are he will play. He is an important part of Atlanta’s offense. Still, the Falcons have a solid roster of receivers.
Other players on the injury report include the following:
- Taylor Gabriel, WR: Questionable, Jan 18
Comment: Gabriel (foot) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Kelsey Conway of the Falcons’ official site reports. - Jonathan Babineaux, DT: Questionable, Jan 18
Comment: questionable - Adrian Clayborn, DE: Injury Reserve, Jan 17
Comment: Clayborn (biceps) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports.
Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a short injury list, but the guys on it are important. One player not on the list is quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger wore a boot in the game against the Chiefs and he took a bad hit near the end of that game.
The three players on the list include linebacker James Harrison who is listed as questionable with the comment “Harrison (shoulder/triceps) didn’t practice on Thursday.” Also listed is tight end Ladarius Green who is under concussion protocol. Finally, wideout Martavis Bryant is under suspension.
The New England Patriots have a long list of guys on the injury list, but this is not unusual. Most of these guys will probably play.
Those on the list for the Patriots are:
- Martellus Bennett, TE: Questionable, Jan 19
Comment: Bennett (knee) remained limited at practice Thursday. - Chris Hogan, WR: Questionable, Jan 19
Comment: Hogan (thigh) remained limited at practice Thursday. - Dont’a Hightower, LB: Questionable, Jan 18
Comment: Hightower was limited in Wednesday’s practice session due to a shoulder injury. - Jabaal Sheard, DL: Questionable, Jan 18
Comment: Sheard was limited in practice Wednesday due to a knee injury. - Danny Amendola, WR: Questionable, Jan 18
Comment: Amendola (ankle) was limited at practice Wednesday. - Brandon Bolden, RB: Questionable, Jan 18
Comment: Bolden (knee) was limited at practice Wednesday. - Malcolm Mitchell, WR: Questionable, Jan 18
Comment: Mitchell (knee) was limited at practice Wednesday.
Will Injuries Affect NFL Conference Championship Games
Will injuries affect NFL Conference Championship games? If Pittsburgh’s short list of guys are affected, that may hurt them in their game against the Patriots. New England’s long list of players may look imposing, but chances are most of not all will be on the field on Sunday. The same is true for Green Bay. The Falcons look solid. On Sunday, we’ll see what injuries affect NFL Conference Championship games.
