GREEN BAY, Wis. — A torn MCL suffered less than one month ago isn't going to keep Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings from missing the playoffs.
"Whoever we're playing, I'm on the field," Jennings said Wednesday. "No doubt at all (that I'll play)."
With Green Bay in a bye week as the NFC's No. 1 seed, Jennings ran routes in Wednesday's practice against a defensive player for the first time since the injury happened on Dec. 11 in a win over Oakland.
"Today was a huge day for me," Jennings said. "That was, psychologically for myself, that was huge. Running out there, running routes on air, anybody can do that. When you have a guy leaning on you and trying to jam you and reacting to it, you're kind of going to instinctively react, instead of strategically going about something.
"And that was huge for me to know that I can just react and respond to a guy up in my face and be able to still beat the jam and try to kick it into another gear when the ball's in the air. All that took place today. I felt great about where I was at today."
The injury was initially announced by coach Mike McCarthy as a knee sprain that would keep Jennings out for two to three weeks. That left open the possibility that Jennings would return for the Packers' final regular-season game against Detroit. But with Green Bay securing home-field advantage until the Super Bowl the week prior, there was no reason for Jennings to play against the Lions.
"Definitely if I had to play last week, I would have played last week," Jennings said. "Just the fact that I have time, an extra week to just run around and heal even more. Just the more time you get, you try to take advantage of it and strategically plan out the way we're going to go about it. I think we've done a great job with that."
Jennings was hurt early in the third quarter of the Packers' Week 14 game when he fell awkwardly after catching a short pass from Aaron Rodgers. He limped off the field and had to be assisted to the cart on the sideline before being taken to the locker room.
"Honestly, it never really flashed through my mind that I was done for the season," Jennings said. "Once they kind of told me it was a torn MCL, I was disappointed. I pretty much knew that it wasn't too severe, just from the way it felt and what I felt when it happened. Watching it on film, I really don't see anything that actually was a big indicator on what took place and why it happened."
Jennings added that he will not need any surgery or follow-ups in the offseason.
"Right now, my knee is as stable as it's going to be, and it's been as stable as it's going to get for the last two weeks now," Jennings said. "So I've pretty much been cleared to do most things that we need to do as a receiver to perform at a high level.
"From a couple weeks ago, it was just all mental, just making sure that I trust my knee, to know that it's not going to tear again."
Despite missing the final three games of the regular season, Jennings was still named to the Pro Bowl. He finished the season with 67 catches, 949 yards and nine touchdowns. The receptions and yards are his lowest since 2007, but he played all 16 games in each of the previous three seasons.
"Greg looks better," McCarthy said. "I thought he looked good last week. I had a chance to visit with him on the field and he has no wasted motion in his stride. I feel good about where Greg is."
Flynn wins award: In Matt Flynn's second career start, his record-breaking performance in Week 17 against the Lions earned him the NFC's Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Flynn's 480 passing yards and six touchdown passes were franchise records. He also joined Joe Namath and Joe Montana on an exclusive list of quarterbacks to pass for that many yards and TDs in a game. Flynn is only the third QB in NFL history to pass for at least three touchdowns in his first two career starts, an achievement that only Dan Marino and Kurt Warner had previously accomplished.
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