When the Green Bay Packers gave Nick Perry a five-year contract extension this offseason, there were two things that fans knew. First, they were extending the contract on a player that could be one of the best pass rushers in the NFL and keeping him in Green Bay. The second thing that Packers fans knew was that he probably would never last an entire season without getting injured. That was proven last week when Perry broke his hand against the Atlanta Falcons.
Luckily, the Packers also signed former San Francisco 49ers superstar Ahmad Brooks to come in as a reserve.
While Brooks is listed as the backup to Clay Matthews, he stepped in for Perry this week and played well. This is especially inspiring after Brooks spent time on the concussion protocol last week.
Nick Perry’s injury
Nick Perry sitting out with an injury is nothing new. In his rookie season in 2012, Perry missed six games. He missed five more in 2013, one game in 2014, and two games each in 2015 and 2016. If anyone thought he would make it through a full season after signing a five-year contract extension, they weren’t paying attention. After breaking his hand and undergoing surgery, Perry missed the Cincinnati Bengals game and might miss a few more as well.
This is scary for the Green Bay Packers because that throws Ahmad Brooks into the starting lineup with Clay Matthews and there is very little depth behind them at the linebacker position.
If anything, the Packers are very lucky that Brooks was able to play at all in Week 3. In the season-opening game against the Seattle Seahawks, Brooks suffered a concussion and missed the loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Ahmad Brooks’ big Week 3
Ahmad Brooks availability was a huge boost to the Green Bay Packers. While the stars of the game were all young superstars, Brooks stepped up and did his part as well.
The biggest names on the defense were rookie Josh Jones, who started for an injured Kentrell Brice, rookie Kevin King, who started for an injured Davon House, and second-year player Blake Martinez, who stepped up due to the injury of Nick Perry.
However, there is no discounting what Ahmad Brooks accomplished in the Green Bay Packers overtime win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Brooks, who is in his 12th season in the NFL, came off the concussion protocol and finished the game with two tackles, one for a loss, and one sack for the Packers. He also forced a grounding penalty. It was a big game for the Packers much-maligned defense, and while the youngsters shone, Brooks did enough to prove that he was an important signing this year as well.
