If you wanted to trace back where the Packers started having issues, go ahead and start with the Monday night loss to the Bears three weeks ago.

That was the game where their troubles were put on full display. They had trouble running the ball, they were undisciplined and they lacked that killer instinct that most Super Bowl contenders have. At 3-2, Green Bay is still in great shape (it’s early yet), but this is a team that is hurting right now in more ways than one.

On the second play of Sunday’s 16-13 overtime loss to the Redskins, tight end Jermichael Finley (who is a huge part of the Packers’ pass-happy offense) suffered a knee injury and was carted off the field. Nobody knows at this point how long he’ll be out, but some are already speculating that he won’t play next week.

Making matters worse, Clay Matthews left Sunday’s game in the third quarter due to a hamstring injury, which affected the Packers’ pass rush for the rest of the game. Donovan McNabb had spent most of the first half running for his life but once Matthews came out, the Redskins were able to chip away at Green Bay’s 13-3 lead and eventually won the game in overtime. If you wanted to know what kind of an impact Matthews has for the Packers’ defense, just pop in the tape of today’s game and compare halves.

Finley and Matthews’ injuries come at a time when Morgan Burnett, Nick Barnett and Mark Tauscher are already out with various aliments. At this pace, Aaron Rodgers will be playing on both sides of the ball in a couple of weeks.

Speaking of which, Rodgers and the passing game continues to sing off key. Rodgers played well again today, but he was plagued by drops and was obviously affected by Finley’s injury. The fact that this team can’t run the ball (Brandon Jackson had 115 yards today, but 71 of which came on one play) doesn’t help Rodgers’ cause.

Things don’t get any easier for the Packers, either. They play a Miami team coming off a bye next Sunday and then host the Vikings before going on the road to face the Jets in Week 8. They host the Cowboys in Week 9 before having their bye in Week 10.

If this team can’t get healthy soon, we won’t be talking about Green Bay the potential Super Bowl team, we’ll be talking about Green Bay the what-could-have-been team.

Adam Schefter is the latest pundit to chime in on the Marshawn Lynch-to-the-Packers rumors.

Green Bay has to do something at running back, and I think the organization recognizes it. It knows it can’t rely on Brandon Jackson as its workhorse from now through the playoffs, assuming it makes them. Green Bay will continue looking for a trade, and Lynch makes as much sense as anybody. But the problem is, teams have been trying to pry away Lynch since the off-season and so far, Buffalo hasn’t budged.

This has been something of a hot topic of late, so I thought I’d enlist the help of our NFL guru, Anthony Stalter, and try to come to some sort of conclusion about whether or not the Packers should trade for Lynch.

JP: Anthony, these rumors have been out there for a while, and given Buffalo’s situation (sucky) and the fact that they have three pretty good running backs, it makes a lot of sense that they would move him for a draft pick to help their rebuilding process. Lynch is 24 years old, has a career 4.0 ypc, decent hands out of the backfield and has had several run-ins (hit and run, misdemeanor gun charge) with the police. Given the fact that the Broncos gave up a 4th rounder for Laurence Maroney, what type of draft pick is Lynch worth in your opinion?

AS: One of our readers recently took the time to compare the career numbers between the two backs and they’re very similar. I would argue that Lynch still has more upside than Maroney, but given his off-field issues I would say no more than a 4th round pick. Keep in mind that every week the Packers or another team doesn’t pick up the phone to call Buffalo GM Buddy Nix is another week Nix loses leverage in a deal for Lynch. The trade deadline is quickly approaching and if the Bills want to move him, the time is now. If Ted Thompson or another GM makes it known that he’s fine with the backs that are currently on his roster, than Nix has no choice but to accept lesser value for Lynch. There’s no doubt that the Packers could use a back of his talent, but Thompson isn’t going to overpay. He never does.

JP: Ryan Grant was effective in the Packers’ running game because he made one cut and hit the hole extremely hard. Usually, he’d gain 2-3 yards, but occasionally he’d break through to the secondary and rattle off a 10- to 15-yard gain. Brandon Jackson doesn’t run the ball downhill, but he’s effective on deceptive runs (draws, inside handoffs, traps, etc.) and has very good hands out of the backfield. Would Lynch’s running style be effective given the Packers’ limitations in the running game?

AS: Lynch’s style is definitely more comparable to Grant’s than Jackson’s. When healthy, Lynch is a north-south runner who gets better as the game wears on. He’s the type of back that needs 20-25 carries a game in order to be completely effective, which may not work for a pass-first team like the Packers. That said, if Green Bay can use its passing game to build leads on opponents, then Lynch would be a perfect back to wear teams down in the second half and chew up the clock. Again, he has to stay healthy and sometimes that can be a problem with his reckless running style, but the short answer is yes, I think he would be a fit for the Packers. I think any back that can potentially wear on opponents would be a good fit for the Packers.

JP: As a Packer fan, I think the team can get by with a combination of Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn, especially if they do most of their running out of passing formations, utilizing Jackson’s ability in deceptive runs. I don’t understand why they bother with the I-formation when Grant isn’t there to hit the hole at 50 MPH. The Colts do enough damage in the running game with Joseph Addai, but they would never be mistaken for a power running team. However, I know it’s important to chew up four-yards a carry in the fourth quarter when you’re nursing a lead, and I don’t see Jackson or Kuhn doing that, so I wouldn’t mind a trade for Lynch, but not for a 2nd or 3rd rounder. The idea of a conditional 4th that could turn into a 3rd if Lynch met certain playing time and productivity requirements sounds like it might be fair.

AS: I agree on all fronts. It was embarrassing to watch Julius Peppers build a small fort in the Packers’ backfield on Monday night and Green Bay do nothing about it. Peppers was rushing up field virtually every snap and the Packers only ran the ball at him a handful of times. The best way to beat a speed rusher is to run the ball directly at them because they create their own running lanes with their aggressiveness. Yet there Peppers was, setting up camp in Rodgers’ backfield all night. Granted, the Bears did a nice job moving him around, but that’s why offenses have audibles – so that they can adjust to what the defense is doing. Some Buffalo fans appear to be delusional about what their team can get for Lynch right now. I agree that a fourth that could turn into a third based on playing time and productivity is more than fair. Because the Bills aren’t going to get more than a 3rd rounder for him and the Packers shouldn’t pay more than that either, especially if he doesn’t produce.

JP: Get Ted Thompson and Buddy Nix on the line! I think we have a deal!

In the world of fantasy football, there was a bit of an uproar over how the Packers plan to use Brandon Jackson going forward. Here’s Rotoworld’s blurb about the situation:

Packers coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Joe Philbin have indicated that they don’t see Brandon Jackson as a carry-the-load back going forward.
McCarthy still plans to have Jackson on the field for a starter’s snap-count, but his carries will be limited. Packers coaches don’t trust Jackson’s body to hold up to the toll of 18-20 touches per game, and he’s still too valuable as a situational passing-down back. Barring a trade, Jackson will continue to split touches with John Kuhn and Dimitri Nance. Those who went “all-in” on their waiver wire budget will be disappointed to learn that Jackson is not going to be a reliable RB2.

Here’s what Mike McCarthy actually said, via 540 ESPN Milwaukee:

“Frankly, if you take (a look at) the snaps the way we’ve played here in the past, it has been by committee,” McCarthy explained. “Now, the run game was not because Ryan Grant had the bulk of it, (but) really our plan of how we utilize the running backs as far as how many plays they play in the game is very similar to our approach to the past.

“(Before his injury), Ryan Grant didn’t play on third down all the time. Brandon Jackson (did). I never had an intent – and will not going further – to see Brandon Jackson carry the ball 30 times in a game. It’s a long season. We’re not trying to play one running back 55, 60 plays in the game and have the other two or three sit on the sideline. We’ve never played that way.”

As a fantasy owner who dropped all of his bidding bucks on Jackson after Week 1, I don’t really care if he’s the primary ballcarrier, though it should be noted that he did have the most carries against the Bills in Week 2. I just want him to get the most snaps (at least 60%). He’s going to be on the field on third downs, so when the Packers go into catch-up mode or their two-minute offense, he’s going to see a lot of dump-offs in the passing game. This coupled with 10-15 carries in the running game will make him a solid RB2 in 12-team leagues. That’s the plan, anyway.

There’s nothing that McCarthy said that worries me about Jackson’s forthcoming production. He said he’s not going to carry the ball 30 times a game. We knew this. He’s going to get most of the work, but the other RBs are going to be involved, just like the Grant/Jackson combo that the Packers used over the past couple of seasons.

It appears as though the Packers have been bitten by the “Stalter Curse,” as FOX Sports.com’s Jay Glazer is reporting that running back Ryan Grant is done for the season with severe ankle and leg injuries.

I picked the Packers to win the Super Bowl this year in my 2010 NFL Season Preview last week. My partner in crime John Paulsen knew bad news would eventually be coming to his Packers soon thereafter and here it is, right on time.

Grant is expected to be placed on IR, which would leave the Pack with Brandon Jackson as the starter and John Kuhn as the backup. Jackson rushed 18 times for 63 yards in relief of Grant in last weekend’s win over the Eagles. His 3.5 YPC average doesn’t look impressive on paper, but keep in mind that Green Bay was protecting a lead at that point and Philadelphia was loading the box in efforts to stop the run.

Expect the Packers to add a free agent at some point soon. Willie Parker is available after the Redskins released him last week, although he proved this offseason that he doesn’t have much left in the tank at 30. I would expect Green Bay to snatch a back off of some team’s practice squad before signing Parker, but you never know. Keep an eye on players like Ryan Torain, Chris Henry, Ian Johnson, Chauncey Washington and Brandon Minor.

What a blow for the Packers.

Obviously, if you were planning to go after Brandon Jackson before, you really need to go after him now. He’s fantasy RB2-caliber the rest of the way, especially in PPR leagues, since he’s so adept in the passing game. He’s not the inside runner that Grant is, so John Kuhn is likely to get the goal line work until the Packers find someone else to sign. In a blind bidding situation, don’t be afraid to put the whole lot down on Jackson. It’s not often that a pretty surefire Top 20 back is up for grabs at this point in the season.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Greg A. Bedard describes the injury:

RB Ryan Grant was wearing a boot on his right foot and has a pretty good sprain. Could not have gone back in.

We won’t know the extent of the injury until later today or tomorrow, but we do know that Brandon Jackson looked pretty good as Grant’s replacement, rushing for 63 yards on 18 tough carries and catching two passes for 12 yards. The yards-per-carry (3.5) numbers aren’t the best, but they don’t tell the whole story. The Eagles defense came to play and the Packers leaned on the former second round pick in both the running game and the passing game to pick up key first downs.

If Grant is on the shelf for any length of time, Jackson will become a RB2-caliber fantasy back, especially in PPR leagues where his pass-catching ability will maximize his value.

Afternoon Update: Grant has already been ruled out for Week 2. Jackson will likely be the top WW pickup of the week.

Chicago was absolutely shredded on the ground by Ryan Grant, who rushed for 145 yards on 25 carries, while Brandon Jackson added 50 yards on just 10 carries. If that wasn’t bad enough, the Bears also allowed Aaron Rodgers to throw for 227 yards and two touchdowns.

Again, injuries have ransacked this team, but at some point you can’t use that as an excuse. And it doesn’t matter who’s playing, there’s no excuse for poor tackling. This was a huge divisional game and the Bears allowed the Packers to do whatever they wanted both on the ground and through the air.

It was also amazing to watch the Bears constantly line up in two-tight end formations and still not be able to run the ball. This wasn’t the Minnesota Vikings front seven they were playing – Green Bay has been carved up all year on the ground.

Conversely, this win saved the season for the Packers, at least for the time being. Not only did they beat a division opponent, but the previously surging Vikings lost as well, meaning there’s a three-way tie in the North. The Pack need Grant and the defense to step up every week just as they did on Sunday vs. Chicago.

- Ryan Grant will be the dreaded game-time decision against the Lions on Sunday. He is still bothered by a sore hamstring and it’s starting to look like this is going to go on for a while. If he can’t go, Brandon Jackson would be in line for the most work in a great matchup, but he’s dealing with a concussion and has been limited in practice this week. Kregg Lumpkin (yep, that’s his real name) is listed as the third RB on the Packers’ depth chart.

- Willis McGahee has been limited in practice this week and it’s starting to look more and more that rookie Ray Rice will get the start in a nice matchup with the Houston Texans. Keep in mind that the game was backed up to Monday night (due to Hurricane Ike), which probably increases the chances that McGahee will be cleared to play, though I’m not optimistic.