Packers linebacker Clay Matthews has been a limited contributor to the team’s defense since injuring his shoulder in late November and he doesn’t sound confident that he’ll be more than that through the end of the regular season.
Matthews said Thursday that he may need to have surgery on his shoulder come the offseason in order to get back to 100 percent, but, for now, he’ll continue playing and hoping that small improvements in how he’s feeling will allow him to play more than the 53 snaps he’s played over the last two weeks.
“Each and every week, we do a little bit more,” Matthews said, via ESPN.com. “We’ll see what that means moving forward. I anticipate continuing to come in on the pass-rushing downs and hopefully spelling some of the guys a little bit more. But as I’ve said in weeks prior, I did a number to it, there’s some damage in there. It’ll continue to get stronger and better, but unfortunately until the offseason, it’s not getting 100 percent healthy. I’ll continue, I think, to progress health-wise, strength, range of motion, everything, and hopefully that correlates to more playing time.”
There’s always a risk involved with trying to play through an injury, but the Packers need all the help they can get as they try to continue a late winning streak and find a way into the playoffs despite their struggles earlier this season.
