by Sports Xchange

Finley was cleared to practice in full Wednesday, and as long as he doesn't have a setback later in the week, he should play Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. He practiced again Thursday.

The athletic and fleet-footed Finley was emerging as a big-play threat before he suffered the injury in the Oct. 25 win at the Cleveland Browns. He had six catches for 128 yards, including a 62-yard catch-and-run touchdown, three weeks earlier in a loss at the Minnesota Vikings.

The absence of Finley, who has 17 receptions for 260 yards (15.3 average), seemed to have an effect on the passing game. Top receivers Greg Jennings and Donald Driver received more attention in coverage than usual, and they struggled at times to get open.

"Jermichael Finley (on the field) definitely helps," McCarthy said. "Anytime you have a player, whether it is a tight end, a receiver, a big back, that has the ability to win down the middle of the field, it creates so many more positives for your whole perimeter group."

PLAYER NOTES

--WR Greg Jennings is doing better than initially projected earlier in the week after he suffered a knee bruise in the 17-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Jennings doesn't appear on the injury report and practiced Wednesday. Jennings was a candidate to miss some practice time, but it appears he'll be fine for the upcoming game.

--C Scott Wells was added to the injury report Thursday with a concussion, which could keep him from playing in the game Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. Head coach Mike McCarthy revealed that Wells also missed practice Wednesday when the symptoms appeared, though the Packers didn't put him on the initial injury report. Undrafted rookie Evan Dietrich-Smith has taken the first-team reps this week and would make the start Sunday if Wells isn't cleared.

--DE Johnny Jolly could be questionable to play Sunday with a lower-back injury that flared up in practice Wednesday. The Packers included Jolly, a starter, on the injury report Thursday after he didn't practice.

--OT Allen Barbre suffered an ankle sprain late in practice Thursday and was added to the injury report. The severity of the injury wasn't immediately known. Barbre lost his starting job at right tackle after seven games.

--LB Aaron Kampman seems to be over the concussion that kept him out of the last game. He practiced in full for the second straight day and continued to take the majority of the first-string reps at left outside linebacker, ahead of rookie Brad Jones, who fared well as Kampman's replacement in the previous game.

--RT Mark Tauscher also appears set to return to the starting lineup Sunday after being out a game with a knee sprain. He handled the bulk of the first-team reps Wednesday and Thursday, ahead of rookie T.J. Lang, who made the start in the last game.

--DE Cullen Jenkins continues to be hampered by a lingering ankle injury. He didn't practice for the second straight day. The team is hopeful Jenkins can practice Friday and make the start Sunday.

--LB Clay Matthews had limited work in practice for the second straight day because of a jaw injury. He is expected to be OK to make the start Sunday.

--TE Jermichael Finley went through a full practice for the second straight day and appears ready to return to game action this weekend. Finley missed the last three games because of a knee sprain.

--LB Brady Poppinga practiced Thursday for the first time since a thigh injury kept him out all of last week as well as the game Sunday. He has a chance to be activated this weekend.

GAME PLAN: An aggressive, productive front seven on the San Francisco 49ers defense will dare the Packers to run the football. Head coach/play caller Mike McCarthy has been quick to give up on the run game if things don't start to his satisfaction, so a familiar pass-heavy plan of attack could be in order against a short-handed 49ers secondary. The Packers are expected to be at full strength with their receivers for the first time in five games, as vertical threat Jermichael Finley returns at tight end. The resurrection of quick, short passes to benefit sack-burdened Aaron Rodgers did wonders in the big win over the Dallas Cowboys last time out, but Rodgers will have to be cognizant of the 49ers' flooding the field underneath and trying to take away the slants. On defense, the Packers have to keep big-play tight end Vernon Davis from becoming a factor, perhaps rolling shutdown corner Charles Woodson to Davis. That would allow defensive coordinator Dom Capers to stack the box at will for the dual purpose of stopping powerful running back Frank Gore, whom McCarthy touts as "special," and dialing up the pressure on erratic quarterback Alex Smith. Green Bay can ill afford to give Smith time to throw and gain some elusive confidence. Nickel back Tramon Williams figures to be on the spot against rookie wideout Michael Crabtree.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Packers CB Charles Woodson vs. 49ers TE Vernon Davis. The unorthodox matchup of putting a light defensive back on a powerful tight end makes the most sense for Green Bay to try to contain its top target in this contest. Woodson, the reigning NFC Defensive Player of the Week, is coming off a strong effort of covering the Dallas Cowboys' Jason Witten most of the game, highlighted by jumping a goal-line pass to Witten for an interception. Woodson, who compensates for the weight disadvantage on guile and instinct, also has stood up to and thwarted the Chicago Bears' Greg Olsen and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Kellen Winslow this season. The explosive Davis will be the toughest test yet for Woodson, if defensive coordinator Dom Capers decides to go that one-on-one route. Davis is the top tight end going right now with 45 catches for an average of 11 yards and a career-high seven touchdowns. He had three receptions for 74 yards, including a 52-yard catch-and-run touchdown, in his only game against the Packers in 2006.

Packers blockers vs. 49ers ILB Patrick Willis. Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy calls Willis "a tackling machine." His disruptive, oft-indefensible abilities in space are a concern for the Packers, who have yet to get their running game on track this season. The onus is on Green Bay's beleaguered offensive line to gain the upper hand in the trenches and not give Willis a window to shoot a gap and blow up a run play. Just the same, Willis (two interceptions, 2 1/2 sacks) thrives in coverage as much as he is blitzing in the exotic looks the 49ers employ in their 3-4 scheme to create confusion for the opponent in passing mode. He will have to be accounted for by the Packers' array of blocking backs and tight ends.

INJURY IMPACT: LOLB Aaron Kampman (concussion) and RT Mark Tauscher (knee) jumped right back into their starting spots upon returning to practice Wednesday after they were sidelined for the last game. Barring any setbacks the remainder of the week, Kampman and Tauscher would seem likely to start Sunday, yet rookie backups Brad Jones and T.J. Lang, respectively, could be on notice for playing time after they played well as the replacements in Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys. ... LB Brandon Chillar and FB John Kuhn are giving it a go this week after they suffered broken hands two games apart. Situational contributor Chillar, who underwent surgery, is wearing a club-like cast indefinitely. Normal starter Kuhn, whose injury occurred in the last game, didn't require surgery but is wearing a protective splint.