For the first time in nearly three months, Jordan Love will have all of his original starting offensive skill players in the Week 16 lineup. As they prepare to face the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football, the Green Bay Packers will welcome the return of tight end Luke Musgrave from injured reserve.

After being questionable for most of the week, Musgrave will be activated off of IR with the intention of playing against the Saints, Tom Pelissero reported. Pelissero noted that the Packers will “ease him in” as he recovers from ankle surgery in October.

Entering Week 16, Musgrave has just 22 receiving yards in 2024 but was a big part of the offense as a rookie in 2023. In his inaugural season, Musgrave's 34 catches were the fourth-most on the team despite playing in just 11 games.

The report suggests that Musgrave will come off the bench in Week 16 and will likely play less than 50 percent of the total offensive snaps. Despite beginning the year as the starter, he saw less than 50 percent of the snaps in three of his four games in 2024 anyway due to the emergence of Tucker Kraft.

Since Week 4, when Musgrave sustained the injury, Kraft has recorded three or more catches in seven of the Packers' 11 games. He has been the team's leading receiver in three separate games in the year, tying Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs for the second-most on the team.

Packers still in playoff hunt ahead of Week 16 clash with Saints

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As they continue to battle in the league's best division of 2024, the Packers' push for the playoffs carries on in Week 16. Despite their stellar 10-4 record through 15 weeks, Green Bay is just third in the NFC North and forced to compete for a Wild Card spot.

With three games remaining in the regular season, the Packers' record is the second-best among all NFC teams competing for a Wild Card bid. The loaded state of the NFC North likely results in Green Bay securing the No. 6 seed in the conference despite having a better record than two of the four divisional champions.

Conversely, the Saints have already been eliminated from the playoffs. New Orleans will enter the matchup without quarterback Derek Carr, who suffered a hand injury in Week 14. They will also be without star running back Alvin Kamara, whose groin injury will keep him off the field.