Although the Packers were victorious Sunday, claiming a 41-20 win over the visiting Dallas Cowboys, not all the news was great coming out of the home team's locker room at Lambeau Field after the game.
GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman, as is his custom, opened his post-game press conference by reading off the list of players injured during the contest. While the list was not necessarily lengthy, it was definitely highlighted by some of the bigger names on the team.
The four players named, Brett Favre, Bubba Franks, Marco Rivera and Darren Sharper, make up four of the club's eight players who have been named Pro Bowlers during their Packer careers. Add in the fact that All-Pro center Mike Flanagan is already out for the season after undergoing knee surgery earlier this month, that's quite a talented list on the injury report.
Sherman said that Favre sprained his right hand early in the game, but living up to his ironman reputation, the quarterback was able to play through the pain in his throwing hand and put up big numbers.
While Favre did not seem overly concerned with the injury after the game, he did say that it was quite painful.
"It was the first or second quarter - I can't remember," Favre said. "I don't want to say it didn't bother me. It doesn't feel too good right now. I kind of hit a guy's helmet and it jammed down here in the wrist. I played the rest of the game and as the game progressed, it felt worse and worse."
In recounting Sunday's injury, Favre remembered some of the feelings he had last season, when he played nearly a full game after breaking his thumb at St. Louis.
"I started thinking about last year when I broke my thumb. I did it the third play of the game, and late in the third or fourth quarter I'm thinking 'Man, this feels terrible. Thank goodness it's not broken because imagine how that would feel.' I get x-rays the next day and I go 'O my god, I broke my thumb.'
"I'm not saying I broke my hand, but I'm going to go back in and get it checked out. I was able to throw. It hurt the most probably taking the snap."
Franks returned to action after suffering a stinger during Sunday's contest, but Rivera and Sharper both were forced to the locker room after going down.
Sherman said after the game that Sharper had sprained the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in his left knee and would undergo an MRI Monday morning to determine the severity of the injury. Sherman said the safety, who left the game in the first quarter, could be available for next Sunday's game at Washington.
Fourth-year veteran defensive back Bhawoh Jue stepped into Sharper's spot in the defense and tied for the team-lead with seven tackles Sunday, but the Packers definitely want their defensive leader and one of their top playmakers back in the lineup as soon as possible.
Rivera was forced from action in the second half with a sprained ankle. The two-time Pro Bowler, who has earned a reputation for playing through injuries in his career, made his 90th consecutive regular season start on the offensive line for the Green and Gold. He too will be evaluated further in the next few days and his availability is undetermined.
In Rivera's absence, right tackle Mark Tauscher slid over to the vacated right guard position and Kevin Barry, who is often on the field as a sixth lineman, came in at tackle.
Sherman is expected to give a full update on the players' health status in his Monday press conference. Check back with Packers.com for all the latest injury information.
