Several were injured against the Bears

Receiver Christian Watson avoids serious injury in Denver

GREEN BAY -- While Micah Parsons was sidelined with an injury Wednesday, the wait-and-see approach continues with several key players entering Saturday's NFC North showdown with Chicago.

Receivers Christian Watson (chest) and Dontaveon Weeks (ankle), and defensive lineman Lucas Van Ness (ankle) all returned to action in a limited capacity after being ruled out for Tuesday's walkthrough.

Meanwhile, running back Josh Jacobs, safety Evan Williams and right tackle Zach Tom are all practicing daily to ensure they are available for the Bears game despite not practicing this week due to respective knee injuries.

Seeing Watson back on the practice field was a big relief for Green Bay after the fourth-year receiver took a hard hit to his chest and shoulder after receiving a deep ball from quarterback Jordan Love early in the third quarter.

Watson said he was taken to a local hospital to have his ribs removed.He was allowed to travel home with the team after the game and is "fighting to play" in Chicago, according to coach Matt LaFleur.

"I took a shot at it, so I definitely think I'm in a better place right away than I expected," said Watson, who has 28 catches for 481 yards and five touchdowns since returning in October.

“I hope you feel a little better every day and that would be good because we are at a point in the season where you have to fight for something.”

Watson said because of everything related to a hospital visit, he didn't even know about Denver's injuries until he turned on his phone on the plane ride home.

Watson's situation started a nightmare third quarter for the team, which then lost Parsons and Williams on the same play with less than a minute left in the quarter.

Williams told reporters after Wednesday's practice that he suffered a medial sprain after jumping while tackling a block while chasing Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims deep in the secondary.

Williams didn't know until late in the game that Parsons had torn his ACL on the other side of the play.

"It was funny from my perspective, because the play ended, I'm ending. I'm like, 'Oh my God. I know something happened,'" Williams said.Micah.I was like, 'Oh, damn'."

Third-year veteran Zayne Anderson finished the game at free safety in place of Williams and could start there Saturday if the sophomore is unable to move to safety.

It's a similar situation for Green Bay at right tackle after Thom injured his knee on Jacobs' 14-yard touchdown run from a punt in the second quarter.

Thome said he made an awkward move against the Bulls' rush game.Darian Kinard came in and took the final 39 offensive snaps at right tackle.He or former first-round pick Jordan Morgan will be candidates to start against the Bears if Thome is not released.

Tom has started 12 games this season despite being sidelined since Week 2 with a back injury. Tom didn't go into specifics about the knee injury, but said it was a balance between dealing with the pain and doing more damage.

“There are some things (knee) that we need to work on and need to heal before I can go out and feel confident,” Tom said.“I would say the oblique (injury) was probably worse.It's more about trying to protect myself from further harm and keep me going even longer.”

Jacobs joined Thome as one of six injury-related DNPs on Wednesday for Green Bay, who took another shot at the injured knee during Sunday's 34-26 loss at Denver.

Pro Bowler has been declared three times to the News Tuesday he is not believed that he is to take a break, it's the only knee to rest at the moment.

Despite all that, Jacobs managed 92 yards and two touchdowns while playing 36 (55%) of 66 offensive snaps in Denver.Backup Chris Brooks was also injured against the Broncos, who listed him as limited on the injury report.

"If it's up to me, yeah, I'll definitely try to go," Jacobs said."For me, watching the game is harder than watching the game. I'd rather try to contribute in some way, even if it's a limited fashion, than just sit and watch all the time. I've always had that mindset."

It's a sentiment shared by most of the injured, given the importance of Saturday's game against the Bears, who have regained a half-game lead over Green Bay in the NFC North after a 31-3 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Green Bay knows there won't be a Parsons on the road, but has an entire roster ready to step up in the enigmatic playmaker's absence.

"I think our culture is really about the other guy. As one person gets hurt, you give the other person a chance," Williams said."Sure, it's a disappointment for the team to see key point guys go down, but it's also an opportunity for others to get more opportunities. It's great to see, to see other people make shots and see what they're doing with their time on the court."