Green Bay got both of its questionable starting offensive linemen on the field for Sunday’s game against the Jets. LG Aaron Banks and RT Zach Bako-Bewele were active, giving the Packers a better chance to keep their protection and lineup intact for a game that mattered before the first snap was even taken.
That was the part people were waiting to see in the Packers-Jets inactives report. Banks came in with a knee injury and still dressed, while Bako-Bewele did the same after also being listed questionable with a knee issue. For a unit that depends on continuity, getting both available is the kind of update that can change how the game is managed from the start.
There was a tradeoff, and it mattered. Green Bay CB Benjamin St-Juste, who was questionable with a hamstring injury, did not play. Javon Hargrave was also listed among the inactives, while Javon Bullard was active after being questionable. The report fit a familiar pattern for Green Bay: one injury update opens the door, and another closes it.
That is what made Sunday’s list worth reading closely. Earlier in the stretch, Evan Williams returned from his knee injury Saturday night, Zach Tom and Evan Williams did not play at Chicago, and Lukas Van Ness was back in action in Denver. Jayden Reed and Nate Hobbs were up and both were returning from injury against Chicago, while Matthew Golden and Nate Hobbs were inactive on Thanksgiving. The Packers have spent weeks balancing who can suit up, who can only go if needed, and who has to wait.
For Green Bay, the immediate answer is simple: Banks and Bako-Bewele were available, and that stabilizes the front for the Jets game. The bigger question is whether that availability holds beyond Sunday, because a short-term return only helps if the knee injuries do not start steering the lineup again when the next report comes out.
