The 22-9 victory over the Lions this past Sunday may have actually resulted in a huge loss for the Packers for the remainder of the season.
According to reports, Clay Matthews underwent successful surgery Monday to repair his thumb, injured during the game against the Lions:
Clay Matthews had successful surgery on his thumb today.
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) October 8, 2013
Clay Matthews injury called a Bennett fracture. Thumb needed to be stabilized w pins bc its dislocated. Pins out in 4 weeks and then probably some more time to heal. http://t.co/T8L2Q3pnF6
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) October 8, 2013
The Packers are now faced with two dilemmas as a result of this.
The first and most obvious is finding a suitable replacement for Matthews on the field. Mike Neal and Andy Mulumba are the most likely candidates to try and replace Matthews’ presence on the field, barring any wheeling and dealing Ted Thompson may attempt to make.
The second issue is whether to declare Matthews’ season over. The Packers still have the option of placing one player on Injured Reserve-Designated to Return. This would allow Matthews to return after 8 weeks.
What the Packers must decide is whether they are confident that Matthews will be able to resume playing after this waiting period, or whether or not to shelve his 2013 season. That remains to be seen.
What is for certain is the Packers are about to begin an extended period of life without Clay Matthews.
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John Rehor is a writer at PackersTalk.com.
He can also be heard as one of the Co-Hosts of Cheesehead Radio. ---------------------
