Packers: Aaron Rodgers misses practice with thumb injury, expects to ‘be fine by Sunday’

The Green Bay Packers were without their starting quarterback on Wednesday when they started preparing for a visit from the New York Jets.

Aaron Rodgers was sidelined with a thumb injury he sustained on the final play of the loss to the New York Giants last Sunday. Rodgers had said on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday the thumb was sore and then coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Wednesday he wouldn’t practice.

“The thumb is alright,” Rodgers told reporters after practice. “It was nice to get a day off today to do a little rehab. But I’ll try and get back out there and practice tomorrow and see how it feels. I’ll be fine by Sunday, I’m sure.”

Rodgers wasn’t the only player out of practice. Wide receiver Christian Watson also missed Wednesday’s session due to a hamstring injury. The rookie missed most of the second half Sunday when a a defensive back grabbed him while running a route and he came up limping.

The second-round pick has had his share of injuries already in his young career. Watson was held out of training camp for the first two weeks after undergoing knee surgery in June. A hamstring injury would later sideline him for Green Bay’s Week 3 matchup against Tampa Bay. However, LaFleur doesn’t believe this one is a long-term concern.

Linebacker Tipa Galeai was the only other Packers player to miss practice. He’s also dealing with a hamstring injury.

Tackles David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins, along with defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, were limited participants.