The Green Bay Packers were successful on more than just one front last Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Not only did the Packers defeat the Seattle Seahawks to advance in the NFC playoffs, they did so without sustaining any major injuries.
"We really came out of the game fairly healthy," GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman said Monday. "For the degree of hitting that was going on out there, very healthy."
Although a few players suffered minor injuries, none of the 45 players on the game-day roster was unable to finish.
Wide receiver Javon Walker left the game briefly after suffering a blow to the head at the end of his 44-yard reception midway through the second quarter, but returned after that to make three more catches.
Backup running back Tony Fisher sustained a contusion on his forearm, but also was able to return.
Likewise, cornerback Mike McKenzie and wide receiver Robert Ferguson, who returned to the starting lineup Sunday after time out with injuries, came away no worse for wear.
McKenzie had missed the final two regular-season games with a case of turf toe, while Ferguson sat out the regular-season finale with an Achilles contusion.
Against the Seahawks, McKenzie had seven tackles and two passes defensed, while Ferguson had one reception for 8 yards.
Neither player is at 100-percent health, but the Packers as a whole remain in a far better position in terms of injuries than they were in the postseason of 2002, when they went one-and-done against the Atlanta Falcons.
And things could get better.
Sherman said Monday that injured defensive lineman Chukie Nwokorie might be able to return this weekend against the Philadelphia Eagles after sitting out of the Wild Card game with a broken wrist.
Nwokorie broke a bone in his right wrist against the Denver Broncos, Dec. 28, but has a cast on the hand and could play with a club-like wrap for protection if he proves himself able to contribute.
"I'll know better about that on Wednesday," Sherman said. "We expected it to happen last week as a possibility, but it just wasn't there."
Sherman said that Nwokorie's unavailability contributed to his decision to keep injured nose tackle Gilbert Brown among the inactives over the weekend.
Brown started all but two of the Packers' 16 regular-season games at nose tackle despite a torn biceps, but missed the Denver game and the Seattle playoff because of battered knees.
With Nwokorie out, Sherman felt that Larry Smith needed to be active to back up Aaron Kampman at the power end position while Kenny Peterson filled in a the nose.
Of those on the Packers' 53-man roster, the only player likely to be any worse than questionable on the Packers' injury report this week will be backup linebacker Marcus Wilkins, who is recovering from a calf strain.
That's good news for the Packers, who have to play an Eagles team that had the weekend off to rest and let injured players get healthy.
"Obviously, even though guys are not on injury reports, there are guys that are banged up and are going to have to play in this ballgame," Sherman said. "But I think our pains are lessened by the fact that we won a football game (Sunday)."
