Clay Matthews says 'cheap shot' by Eagles' Allen Barbre to blame for shoulder injury

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Clay Matthews has a separated AC joint in his left shoulder, and he's not happy about what caused it.

The Green Bay Packers linebacker was injured Monday night in a win whenEaglesright tackle Allen Barbre delivered a blindside block on an end-around in the first quarter.

"I wasn't a fan of it," Matthews said of Barbre's block. "I mean, I've got a lot more to say about it, but I'm going to say it behind closed doors. It was a cheap shot, but it is what it is. I ate it. Unfortunately, I landed on my shoulder, and that's kind of what I've been dealing with since."

Matthews said he wasn't sure if it was legal block by Barbre, who wasn't penalized on the 3-yard gain by Eagles receiver Bryce Treggs.

"I don't know. They didn't throw a flag probably because I wasn't a quarterback," Matthews said. "I know all about that."

Barbre and Matthews were teammates in Green Bay during the 2009 season.

Matthews, who was forced to move to inside linebacker against the Eagles because of injuries to starters Blake Martinez and Jake Ryan, said he took a pain-killing injection in order to return to the game. Safety Morgan Burnett had to take a few snaps at inside linebacker while Matthews was in the locker room getting examined.

"I'm in some pain, no doubt about it," said Matthews, whose status for Sunday night against Houston remains up in the air. "There's some swelling [and] bruising, but we got an X-ray and nothing's broken, so that's good. So we'll see moving forward the progress I make going into this game. That's ultimately the goal, but we've got some work to."

Earlier Wednesday, coach Mike McCarthy expressed confidence that both Matthews and quarterback Aaron Rodgers would play against the Texans. Rodgers pulled his left hamstring in the third quarter against the Eagles, and his mobility was limited after trainers taped his leg.

Although Rodgers said it was too early in the week to tell how the injury might impact him, McCarthy said he did not expect it to be as limiting as the calf injury that Rodgers sustained late in the 2014 season.

"The calf injury, that was a big injury," McCarthy said Wednesday. "We made a ton of adjustments. And for him to play through that was extraordinary. But we'll see how he is. I really don't want to comment until I see him move around tomorrow."

In a rare move, McCarthy did not hold a practice Wednesday. He said that was his plan all along coming off back-to-back night games.

"It probably doesn't help where I'm at physically, but I think [not practicing] is a good idea," Rodgers said.