The Green Bay Packers will be without one of their top offensive weapons for Sunday’s must-win Week 18 game at home against the Chicago Bears.

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed on Friday that running back A.J. Dillon will miss Sunday’s game with a stinger. Second-year wideout Christian Watson is also questionable with a hamstring.

 

Without Aaron Jones for six games, Dillon has emerged as the Packers’ lead RB this year. The pending free agent has 613 rushing yards and two touchdowns to go along with 22 receptions for 223 yards.

The Packers took care of business on the road against the Minnesota Vikings last week to move to 8-8, setting themselves up for a win-and-get-in scenario.

Green Bay, of course, was in the same scenario a year ago when they hosted the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. But the Packers were stunned at home by their longtime rivals 20-16, thus missing out on the postseason and ending the glorious Aaron Rodgers era on a heartbreaking note.

 

If the Packers lose to Chicago, they’ll need plenty of help to get into the postseason: The Minnesota Vikings lose to the Detroit Lions, the Seattle Seahawks fall to the Arizona Cardinals and either the New Orleans Saints (vs. Atlanta Falcons) or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at Carolina Panthers) to lose.

The Packers haven’t missed the postseason in back-to-back years since 2005 and ’06. We’ll see if they can keep that streak alive on Sunday.