A devastating patellar tendon tear sidelines star tackle Zach Bako-Bewele, forcing a battered Green Bay Packers squad to protect their season.
It's an absolute nightmare for the Green Bay Packers as the worst case scenario has been realized.
This offensive line simply can't catch a break, and it somehow continues to go from bad to worse.
The initial report on Zach Bako-Bewele was that it wasn't good and could be a long-term injury, and that's exactly what transpired.
The Athletic's Matt Schneidman revealed that Bako-Bewele fully tore his patellar tendon and he's done for the year.
Bako-Bewele sustained this injury just three plays into Week 2, and while the turf at MetLife Stadium certainly didn't help, he confirmed the injury had nothing to do with him coming back too soon.
Packers must move on without Bako-Bewele
Not only did he fully tear his patellar tendon, but this is in the same knee that he partially tore it in last year, according to NBC 26's John Miller.
There's no easy way to look at an injury like this, and it's one that faces a nine-month recovery timeline.
Bako-Bewele is set to get surgery on Thursday, Sept. 24, the same day when the Packers are set to play their 2026 home opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
Losing a right tackle at this point in the season is never easy, but there's no doubt Bako-Bewele was the best player in the trenches.
Green Bay is losing a star tackle that is set to make $18 million in 2027 and then $24 million in 2028.
Packers fans remember the David Bakhitari injury and what happened to him post-ACL recovery, so they're justified to wonder if Bako-Bewele is going to be worth that sort of price tag once he's back to 100%, if he ever truly returns to full strength and health.
Suffering a partial tear last year was one thing, but then a full tear in the same knee not even a full year later is as bad as it gets.
Packers injury report heats up
While the team didn't practice on Monday, Sept. 21, there were 11 players initially listed on the injury report.
With such a short turnaround between games, the Packers can officially rule Bako-Bewele out for Week 3, leaving them with potentially 10 other question marks against the Falcons.
Schneidman confirmed cornerback Brandon Cisse was listed on the initial report because he got his wisdom teeth taken out, but Cisse said he'll be good to go against the Falcons.
Other than that, other star players to be monitored are wide receiver Jayden Reed and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper.
