Morgan Burnett out for the season
The Green Bay Packers are already a little thin at the safety position, and they will now be without strong safety Morgan Burnett for the remainder of the season. The 21-year-old rookie tore his ACL in Green Bay's hard-fought 28-26 victory over the Detroit
Lions in week four.
Burnett was filling in for injured starter Atari Bigby, who isn't slated to return until week six (when the Packers take on the Miami Dolphins). Bigby underwent ankle surgery back in August, and the Green Bay Packers will be eager to get him back, as they
will now have to turn to third stringer Derrick Martin to fill the void at the safety position.
Unfortunately, even when Bigby does return, he will likely need at least a week to get himself into game shape, especially since the 29-year-old has not seen any real action in almost 10 months.
"He's been working out," Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said of Bigby. "He's been attending the meetings. We won't really know until we see Atari on the field. We haven't had Atari on the field since last year to see exactly where he is. Obviously he knows
our defence and has the experience."
Morgan Burnett had begun to show real promise in the four games he started this season. He had 12 tackles and one interception before being injured.
What is most concerning for the Packers is the gap between now and Bigby's return. The Packers currently have three wins and one loss, and are tied with the Chicago Bears at the top of the NFC North Division. They've managed to fill the holes in their defence
well and are in the top 10 in the NFL in total defence, including being seventh while defending against the pass.
The Packers will face a tough test next week when they take on the 2-2 Washington Redskins in week five.
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