GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Health has been restored to the Green Bay Packers quarterback room -- unless it's Aaron Rodgers' fractured toe -- with the return of Jordan Love from the reserve/COVID-19 list, but now the defensive line is shorthanded because Pro Bowl nose tackle Kenny Clark was added to that list Thursday.
Unlike several other teams, including Sunday's opponent, the Baltimore Ravens, the Packers' COVID list remained at only one player.
In Baltimore, the Ravens' depleted secondary took another hit Thursday when the team placed safety Chuck Clark on the COVID list. He is the second Raven on the list, joining backup center Trystan Colon.
Clark was the last remaining season-opening starter for a defensive backfield that already has lost three starters to season-ending injuries: cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (torn pectoral muscle) and Marcus Peters (torn ACL) and safety DeShon Elliott (torn biceps).
If Clark is out Sunday, the Ravens' projected secondary facing Rodgers -- cornerbacks Anthony Averett and Chris Westry and safeties Brandon Stephens and Geno Stone -- would have a combined 28 career starts.
Baltimore ranks 31st in the NFL in pass defense.
The Packers (10-3) currently hold the top seed in the NFC playoffs and can clinch the NFC North with a win Sunday or a Minnesota Vikings loss at Chicago. The Ravens (8-5), who would be the No. 4 seed if the season ended today, have a one-game lead in the AFC North over the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.
Clark's absence is a big blow to a Packers defense that already has been without two other stars, cornerback Jaire Alexander and outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith, for most of this season. Alexander remains on injured reserve because of a Week 4 shoulder injury but has been practicing the past two weeks. Smith's absence following back surgery remains indefinite. Unless Alexander returns to the active roster this week, the Packers will be without arguably their top defensive player at each position group.
"That's just the world we live in right now," Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Thursday. "You see it going on throughout the league, a lot of teams are facing the same issues and the way I look at it is no different than when you have an injury on game day."
Love took all the starting quarterback reps in practice Thursday while Rodgers again rested with the toe injury that he said felt worse coming out of last Sunday's win over the Bears.
"Going back and watching the tape, it seemed like there was a tackle in the first quarter that I remember that bothered me for sure," Rodgers said Wednesday. "It was a third-and-long and I got kind of tackled from the side. It seemed like after that I kind of had some pain the rest of the game.
"It's feeling good. Mondays and Tuesdays are light days for me. It's a lot of rehab. Both at the facility here and at home. It's a toe so there's only so many things you can do. A lot of it is icing and contrast and heating and getting a tiny toe rubdown."
Rodgers practiced once last week, on Friday, and would like to do the same this week.
"Last week, I came in and it felt amazing on Thursday and almost went out and practiced, but said I'm going to wait until Friday," he said. "This week, not quite feeling as well as I did last week but we'll see when I wake up [Friday] morning."
The Packers elevated practice squad quarterback Kurt Benkert to the roster for the Bears game as a COVID replacement and is reverting him to the practice squad. As Rodgers' backup last week, Benkert took the final two snaps -- both kneel-downs. He entered the NFL in 2018, but Sunday was his first time active for a regular-season game.
ESPN Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley contributed to this report.