The Facts: Following up on a previous item. ... If you didn't know any better, you'd think Jordy Nelson could play this weekend if the Packers had reached the NFC Championship Game. That's how well the Pro Bowl receiver's recovery from his preseason torn ACL has progressed. For weeks, Nelson has been running full speed and working out in the Don Hutson Center while the rest of his teammates practiced. "He will be ready a lot sooner than a lot of people think he will be ready," teammate James Jones said. "The guy has been in here, putting in a lot of work. He sleeps with his ice machine on, he takes all that stuff home, he works hard. He'll be back. I'm proud of him."

Diehards Line: The reality is that Nelson almost certainly could not have played less than five months after he blew out his knee when he landed awkwardly in the Aug. 23 preseason game at Pittsburgh. Still, the fact he's progressing well is great news. Nelson spent the entire season in Green Bay and remained as involved as he could with his teammates when he wasn’t working with the trainers to rehab and strengthen his knee. “I think Jordy will come back better than ever,” HC Mike McCarthy said this week. “He’s one of the players I’ve had a chance to sit down and talk to [right after the season], and just like you knew he would he’s so far ahead with the rehab, he looks great. There’s no reason to think he won’t be good as new.” The Packers will need Nelson to come back the same given how badly their offense struggled this season, falling all the way 25th in the NFL in passing yards per game. As ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky suggests, no one will know what impact Nelson's injury will have on him until he’s back in full pads next August, but it will be interesting to see how much he does in the offseason program. The Packers typically keep most players coming off ACL injuries on a limited rep count until training camp or even later. But we'll continue following his progress closely.