Injury Update: NFC North Defenses Hurting with Everson Griffen, Za'Darius Smith Out

The NFC North didn’t look great in Week 1, specifically the defenses. All four teams lost, as the division gave up an average of 35 points. Going into Week 2, some of those defenses are going to be truly tested by not only the matchups, but by the holes caused by injuries.

Everson Griffen Out Due To Car Accident

The Vikings are going to be down starting linebacker Anthony Barr and defensive tackle Everson Griffen, as well as Harrison Hand and Christian Darrisaw. 

Griffen is out with a concussion, but he didn’t suffer it on the field. He was in a car accident after swerving to miss a deer on the road, according to coach Mike Zimmer. He was on his way to the team facility when it happened. Because of that, he won’t be playing on Sunday against the Cardinals. 

The Vikings are 3.5-point underdogs at WynnBET to the Cardinals. Griffen’s injury won’t move the line, but it doesn’t do anything to strengthen Minnesota’s upset case. 

Za’Darius Smith Out With a Back Injury

This news is terrible for the Packers. Za’Darius Smith is one half of the “Smith Brothers” and is key to the Packers’ pass rush. Smith is expected to be out for a while, with the Packers placing him on IR.

“We’re going to have to shut him down for a while,” Matt LaFleur said. “It’s a matter of do you keep him in a limited role or do you shut him down for a while and try to get him healthy and get him up to the snap count that we’d like him to be (at).”

Green Bay is a double-digit favorite against the Detroit Lions on Monday night. Although they can still get the job done without Smith, the rest of the season could turn without their star rusher.

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