By: Aaron Morse 12/16/21
As sports leagues continue to see a large uptick in Covid cases and players being added to the Covid lists, the Packers had avoided any players being added over the past week. However, they have just added Kenny Clark to the reserve/COVID list. With just three days until the Packers will be in Baltimore to take on the Ravens, Clark is unlikely to be able to suit up.
Because Clark is vaccinated, there is a slim chance he could make a quick turnaround. For vaccinated players, they are allowed to return to the team once they produce two negative tests that come 24 hours apart. Clark has just enough time to maneuver his way back to playing in week 15. If he was not vaccinated, he would need to be away from the team for at least 10 days, similar to Aaron Rodgers earlier this season.
Kenny Clark is a huge part of the defense and one of the most disruptive defensive tackles in the entire NFL so this is a tough loss for the Packers to try and cover up, especially late in the practice week. What makes it even more difficult is the scheme that the Ravens play with. While Lamar Jackson is dealing with an ankle sprain and might not play this week, his backup, Tyler Huntley, is a shifty runner as well and produces similar results to Jackson at the quarterback position. In addition, the Ravens are one of the more run-heavy offenses in the league. Last year they ran the ball on 55% of their plays. This year that number has dipped to 44% (because of an insane amount of injuries to the running back position) but they still want to establish the run and establish it early.
Establishing the run could come a lot easier for the Ravens on Sunday without Kenny Clark to stuff up the middle of the field.