No doubt the Green Bay Packers’ defense was handicapped when defensive lineman Mike Daniels left during the first series against Atlanta.
Daniels left with a hamstring injury and didn’t return. This came a week after he was a force — seven tackles, 1.5 sacks — against Seattle.
Curiously, Daniels was listed as questionable all week prior to the game. However, he announced he was going to play on Friday. Then he lasted all of a couple plays on Sunday.
Fortunately for the Packers, Daniels’ injury doesn’t appear to be anything to be too concerned about.
Good news for #Packers star DL Mike Daniels after his MRI: Minor hamstring injury, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 18, 2017
What I find amusing — if you can find anything amusing here — is that it’s a hamstring injury. Since tackle David Bakhtiari sat out of the game with a hamstring injury, we can now officially declare the Packers’ Hamstring Epidemic of 2017 underway.
It’s an annual event!
It’s only a matter of time before Clay Matthews pulls his.
Seriously, the Packers’ defense is markedly different without Daniels. Kenny Clark isn’t as effective. Nick Perry gets more double teams. The pass rush just isn’t as good.
Hopefully, this isn’t the type of injury that lingers. We’ve seen that many times before.
Let’s get Mike Daniels healthy and back to dominating.