The Green Bay Packers are absolutely flourishing at the moment, winning three in a row heading into a tough divisional clash in Week 17 against the Minnesota Vikings. It also appears QB Aaron Rodgers may just get back one of his favorite protectors, too. Speaking on the Pat McAfee Show Tuesday, Rodgers revealed that he expects offensive tackle David Bakhtiari to practice this week after missing the last few weeks because of an emergency appendectomy, per Rob Demovsky.

If Bakhtiari was able to suit up come Sunday, it would certainly be huge for the offensive line. He missed all but one game last season because of a knee injury. In 2022, the veteran tackle has suited up nine times. He's been sidelined for the last three contests.

Obviously, this is just a feeling from Aaron Rodgers, but if Bakhtiari is able to take the practice field in the next couple days, it definitely means he's trending in the right direction. The 31-year-old spoke on Thursday about the sudden operation and shed some light on how fortunate he was for the appendix to not rupture. Via Packers.com:

“I was definitely one of the fortunate people. It didn't rupture,” said Bakhtiari on Thursday. “It was leaking but didn't rupture. I was extremely minimal symptoms. I felt like I had a bruise or a contusion in my stomach. I didn't have any fever or chills. It's weird and ironic.”

Offensively, the Packers will be hoping rookie wideout Christian Watson is healthy enough to go Sunday after suffering a hip injury against Miami. He's proven to be one of Aaron Rodgers' favorite targets. As for Bakhtiari, it'll be interesting to see how he progresses as the week rolls on.