The Green Bay Packers won't have cornerback Casey Hayward in uniform when they roll into San Francisco for Sunday's season opener against the 49ers, but they do anticipate Morgan Burnett taking the field.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that the Packers starting safety is expected to play, according to a source who spoke with Burnett. The fourth-year defender missed practice Friday because of a hamstring injury; the same setback that is expected to shelve Hayward, the team's starting cornerback, for up to a month.
Burnett's presence is critical against the 49ers. San Francisco is short-handed at wide receiver, but with quarterback Colin Kaepernick guiding coordinator Greg Roman's "multiple" offense, Green Bay is in for a monster test right out of the gate.
On Friday's Around the League Podcast, we pointed to this playoff rematch as one of the games set to define Week 1. Mike McCarthy's Packers spent all offseason studying the read option with an eye toward the 49ers and next week's opponent, the Washington Redskins. We'll find out right away if the offseason homework paid off.
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